The Precincts of Naritasan Temple in Shimosa Province (Shimosa Naritasan keidai), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces (Shokoku meisho hyakkei)"

Art Historical Context

This color woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige II captures the lively precincts of Naritasan Temple in Shimosa Province, part of his ambitious 1859 series “One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces.” Created as Japan stood on the cusp of the Meiji era, the image reflects the enduring popularity of “famous-place” (meisho) prints that encouraged armchair travel among a growing urban audience. Hiroshige II, who trained under the celebrated Hiroshige I, continued his teacher’s tradition of atmospheric landscapes enlivened by everyday human activity. Printed in the oban format using multiple color blocks, the work exemplifies the refined woodblock techniques of the late Edo period. Subtle gradations of ink and carefully registered colors convey the temple’s imposing gate, surrounding pine groves, and throngs of pilgrims, all framed within a compact 35.2 × 23.2 cm sheet. Such prints were affordable souvenirs that brought distant sacred sites into ordinary homes. Today the impression in the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection preserves both the devotional energy of Naritasan and the artistic legacy of the Utagawa school, offering visitors a vivid glimpse of nineteenth-century Japanese pilgrimage culture.

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...