Hiratsuka near Kutsukake
1790–1848
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
9 1/2 x 14 1/2 in. (24.1 x 36.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Henry L. Phillips Collection, Bequest of Henry L. Phillips, 1939
Accession Number
JP2874
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created during Japan’s Edo period, “Hiratsuka near Kutsukake” captures a fleeting moment of travel along a rural road. Keisai Eisen (1790–1848), a leading ukiyo-e artist, presents a windswept landscape where travelers and horses move beneath rustling trees. The scene evokes the era’s growing interest in famous places and the poetry of everyday journeys. Printed with ink and color on paper, the work exemplifies the woodblock technique that made art widely accessible. Layers of carved blocks produced delicate lines and soft washes, allowing viewers to sense the breeze stirring cloaks and foliag...
About the Artist
Keisai Eisen · 1790–1848
Keisai Eisen (1790–1848), born Ikeda Yoshinobu in Edo (modern Tokyo), emerged as one of the late Edo period's most prolific ukiyo-e masters. The son of the renowned calligrapher and Kanō-school painter Ikeda Shigeharu, Eisen was immersed in the arts from childhood. He apprenticed under Kanō Hakkeisai, adopting the art name "Keisai" in homage to his teacher, and later studied bijin-ga (images of be...