One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
Azuma Bridge from Komagatadō
Utagawa Hiroshige · 1857
What it is
A cuckoo flies over the Sumida River near Komagatadō, a red banner hangs from a pole, and Azuma Bridge stretches across the water beyond.
Why it matters
The vertical format lets Hiroshige stack near and far: the banner and the bird close up, the bridge and the boats far below.
What to notice
The red banner is the strongest colour on the sheet and hangs straight down one edge.
A small bird crossing the sky can be the whole subject of a city view.
The record
- Artist
- Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797–1858)
- Series
- One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
- Date
- 1857
- Publisher
- Uoya Eikichi
- Medium
- woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Source
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art · JP1023
Impression note. Published 1856–59 in the vertical format Hiroshige had first used for his Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces, and reprinted often. The date seal on each sheet gives its month of publication. This is the largest clean open impression of the design the Met holds. Impression variance is real — printings differ in wiping and fading — and choosing the finest openly held impression is the curatorial act.
Public domain; faithfully reproduced.
Bring it home
Printed to order on EMA matte art paper, 200gsm.
From the same series
One Hundred Famous Views of EdoSudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and AtakeUtagawa Hiroshige · 1857
One Hundred Famous Views of EdoPlum Estate, KameidoUtagawa Hiroshige · 1857
One Hundred Famous Views of EdoAsakusa Ricefields and Torinomachi FestivalUtagawa Hiroshige · 1857
One Hundred Famous Views of EdoMoon Pine, UenoUtagawa Hiroshige · 1857The road at your moment — Painted Earth’s ukiyo-e style pack.