Yokohama Gankirō age|横浜岩亀楼上|Upper Floor of the Gankirō Tea House in Yokohama
4th month, 1860
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image (a): 14 3/4 x 10 in. (37.5 x 25.4 cm) Image (b): 14 3/4 x 10 in. (37.5 x 25.4 cm) Image (c): 14 3/4 x 10 in. (37.5 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
2007.49.141a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step onto the upper floor of Yokohama's Gankirō Tea House through Utagawa Hiroshige's vibrant triptych woodblock from the 4th month of 1860. A master of the Utagawa school and pupil of the legendary Hiroshige I, this captures the bustling intimacy of an Edo-period interior, where men and women gather in a space alive with conversation and leisure. Rendered in ink and color on paper, of the three sheets measures 14¾ × 10 inches, seamlessly combining to form a panoramic view that draws viewers into the "floating world" of ukiyo-e. Created during the late Edo period (1615–1868), just a year afte...
About the Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige II · 1826–1869
Utagawa Hiroshige II, born Suzuki Chinpei in 1826, was one of the most accomplished ukiyo-e artists of mid-nineteenth century Japan. He entered the studio of the celebrated landscape master Utagawa Hiroshige I — known for his iconic series "The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido" — and proved himself the most talented of the elder artist's few students. So highly regarded was the young pupil that...