The Soga Shrine, from the series "Illustrated Tale of the Soga Brothers (Soga monogatari zue)"
c. 1843/47
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
36.9 × 24.7 cm (14 1/2 × 9 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
34525
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, where Utagawa Hiroshige *The Soga Shrine, the series "Illustrated of the Soga BrothersSoga monogatari zue)"* (c. 1843/47) captivates with its vivid storytelling. This color woodblock print, in the large oban format (36.9 × 24.7 cm), showcases Hiroshige's mastery ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world"—a genre celebrating everyday life, theater, and legend during Japan's Edo period (1603–1868). The artwork depicts the Soga Shrine, a key site tied to the legendary Soga brothers, Jūrō and Gorō, whose tale of filial revenge a...
About the Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige · 1826–1869
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), born Andō Tokutarō, was the last great master of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking and one of the most influential landscape artists in history. Born in Edo (modern Tokyo) into a low-ranking samurai family serving as fire wardens, Hiroshige transformed landscape printmaking into a poetic meditation on nature, weather, and everyday life. His revolutionary approac...