Tōtō Takanawa Kaigen|Foreigners Riding Along the Coast at Takanawa in the Eastern Capital
9th month, 1861
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image: 14 1/4 x 10 5/8 in. (36.2 x 27 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
Accession Number
2007.49.147
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this vibrant woodblock print from 1861, Utagawa Hiroshige II captures a striking moment of cultural encounter: foreigners riding horses along the scenic coast at Takanawa a coastal district in Edo (modern-day Tokyo, the "Eastern Capital"). Created during the final years of the Edo period (1615–1868), the artwork depicts men and women on horseback amid lush trees, evoking the novelty and curiosity surrounding Western visitors. Hiroshige II, a to his famous uncle Hiroshige I, masterfully continued the ukiyo-e of "pictures of the floating world," blending precise lines, bold colors, and atmosp...
About the Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige II · 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...