名所江戸百景 浅草田圃酉の町詣|Revelers Returned from the Tori no Machi Festival at Asakusa, from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Art Historical Context

In Utagawa Hiroshige masterful woodblock print *Revelers Returned from Tori no Machi Festival Asakusa* (1857), from his iconic series *One Hundred Famous Views Edo*, we glimpse a lively evening scene in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) during the Edo period (1615–1868). Revelers stroll home through moonlit rice fields after the vibrant Tori no Machi festival at Asakusa Temple, a popular autumn event honoring the rooster (tori). Hiroshige captures the festive energy with figures in colorful kimonos, playful cats scampering nearby, and the distant silhouette of Mount Fuji rising majestically under a starry sky—hallmarks of his ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") style. As a leader of the ukiyo-e movement, Hiroshige revolutionized landscape printmaking with his atmospheric perspective, subtle color gradients achieved through layered woodblock printing (ink and color on paper), and keen observation of everyday life. This 13 x 9-inch print exemplifies his ability to blend human activity with nature's grandeur, evoking a sense of transience and joy. Produced amid Japan's isolationist sakoku policy, such affordable prints brought famous views to urban dwellers, preserving Edo's cultural vibrancy. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Rogers Fund, 1914), this work highlights Hiroshige's enduring influence on artists like Van Gogh, inviting us to savor the poetry of a bygone festival night.

About the Artist

Utagawa Hiroshige · 1826–1869

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), born Andō Tokutarō, was the last great master of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking and one of the most influential landscape artists in history. Born in Edo (modern Tokyo) into a low-ranking samurai family serving as fire wardens, Hiroshige transformed landscape printmaking into a poetic meditation on nature, weather, and everyday life. His revolutionary approac...