Yamato Province: Tatsuta Mountain and Tatsuta River (Yamato, Tatsutayama, Tatsutagawa), from the series "Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces (Rokujuyoshu meisho zue)""
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
130535
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
In Utagawa Hiroshige's masterful color woodblock print *Yam Province: Tatsuta Mountain and Tatsuta River (1853), part of his renowned series *Famous Places the Sixty-odd Provinces*Rokujuyoshu meisho zue*), we glimpse the serene beauty of ancient Yamato Province—now Nara Prefecture. Hiroshige, a leading figure in Japan's ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") movement, captures the Tatsuta River winding gracefully past Tatsuta Mountain, framed by autumn foliage and distant peaks. Printed in the large oban format (about 10 x 14 inches), this work invites viewers into a poetic landscape that evokes the tranquility of rural Japan. Created during the late Edo period amid growing domestic travel via the Tokaido road system, the series celebrates Japan's 68 provinces (plus two extras), blending realism with atmospheric mood. Hiroshige's genius lies in his innovative woodblock techniques: carvers and printers used multiple cherry wood blocks, each inked in vibrant hues like crimson maples and misty blues, to layer colors precisely by hand. This collaborative process produced affordable art for everyday people, popularizing landscape prints. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia department, this print exemplifies Hiroshige's legacy in bridging traditional Japanese aesthetics with emerging Western influences, influencing later Impressionists like Monet. A timeless ode to nature's fleeting splendor, it reminds us of Japan's enduring reverence for seasonal harmony.
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...