Kintai Bridge at Iwakuni in Suo Province (Suo Iwakuni Kintaibashi), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces (Shokoku meisho hyakkei)"

Art Historical Context

This vibrant color woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige II captures the graceful Kintai Bridge spanning the Nishiki River in Iwakuni, a celebrated landmark in what is now Yamaguchi Prefecture. Created in 1859 as part of the artist’s ambitious series “One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces,” the work belongs to the ukiyo-e tradition of landscape prints that celebrated Japan’s scenic beauty during the late Edo period. Hiroshige II, who studied under the renowned Utagawa Hiroshige, continued his teacher’s legacy by documenting notable sites across the country just as domestic travel was becoming more accessible to ordinary people. Printed in the large oban format using multiple carved woodblocks for rich color and subtle gradations, the image highlights the bridge’s distinctive five wooden arches, designed to withstand seasonal floods. Such prints served both as affordable souvenirs and as visual invitations to explore Japan’s provinces, blending accurate topography with poetic atmosphere. Today, this impression in the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection offers viewers a vivid window into mid-nineteenth-century Japanese appreciation for engineering marvels and natural harmony.

About the Artist

Utagawa Hiroshige II (Shigenobu) · 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...