The Floating World
Kumoi Cherry Trees
雲井櫻 · Kumoi-zakura
Yoshida Hiroshi · 1926
What it is
A great weeping cherry spreads across the sheet under a pale moon, with two small figures beneath it.
Why it matters
Yoshida set up his own studio in 1925 with carvers and printers working under his eye, and 1926, the year of this design, was the year he published the most prints of his life: forty-one.
What to notice
The blossom is built up in soft layers of pink, and the moon is a pale disc behind the branches.
One tree in flower is reason enough to go out at night.
The record
- Artist
- Yoshida Hiroshi 吉田博 (1876–1950)
- Date
- 1926
- Medium
- woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons · Hiroshi Yoshida - Kumoi-Zakura (Kumoi Cherry Trees) - Google Art Project.jpg
Impression note. Google Art Project file on Wikimedia Commons. Yoshida printed some designs in several colour versions from the same blocks, so sheets of one design can differ in time of day as well as in strength. 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.
More Yoshida Hiroshi
Yoshida HiroshiKameido BridgeYoshida Hiroshi · 1927
Yoshida HiroshiKagurazaka Street after a Night RainYoshida Hiroshi · 1929
Yoshida HiroshiThe WetterhornYoshida Hiroshi · 1925 · from $69.00
Hashiguchi GoyōWoman at the BathHashiguchi Goyō · 1915 · from $69.00The road at your moment — Painted Earth’s ukiyo-e style pack.