Vessels Departing from California, America
3rd month, 1862
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image (a): 14 1/2 x 9 7/8 in. (36.8 x 25.1 cm) Image (b): 14 1/2 x 10 in. (36.8 x 25.4 cm) Image (c): 14 1/2 x 10 in. (36.8 x 25.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
Accession Number
2007.49.133a–c
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Vessels Departing from, America** is a captivating triptych woodblock by Utagawa (Gountei) Sadah, created in the 3rd month of 1862 during Japan's late Edo period (1615–1868). This ink and color on paper work, measuring about 14½ x 30 inches when combined, exemplifies the ukiyo-e tradition of the Utagawa school, known for its vibrant depictions of everyday life, theater, and beauty. Sadahide, a master of this "pictures of the floating world" style, here captures a bustling harbor scene alive with men and women waving farewell amid churning waves and majestic ships, blending dynamic composition with intricate details. Historically, this print reflects Japan's turbulent opening to the West following Commodore Perry's "black ships" arrival in 1853–1854, ushering in foreign trade at ports like Yokohama. Sadahide specialized in *Yokohama-e*—genre prints exoticizing Westerners, steamships, and global encounters—making this portrayal of American vessels leaving California a rare, timely snapshot of cross-cultural curiosity just six years before the Meiji Restoration ended the Edo era. The triptych format allowed expansive narratives, with bold colors and flowing lines evoking the sea's energy. As a Metropolitan Museum of Art treasure (Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005), it highlights woodblock printing's technical brilliance: layered colors from multiple carved blocks, fostering mass production and public fascination with the wider world. Visitors, imagine the thrill of glimpsing distant shores through Sadahide's lens!
About the Artist
Utagawa (Gountei) Sadahide · 1807–1873
Utagawa Sadahide was born Hashimoto Kenjirō in 1807 in Fusa Province, in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. In the 1820s he entered the studio of the enormously prolific and influential master Utagawa Kunisada, becoming one of Kunisada's most prominent pupils and adopting the studio name Sadahide along with the Utagawa school's celebrated lineage. By 1828 his name appeared on a monument l...