11 Utagawa Hiroshige 1797 – 1858 Seido and Kanda River from Shohei Bridge

Japan, 9th month of 1857 (Edo period), 
No. 47 from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

This highly atmospheric sheet is the work of the renowned landscape master Utagawa Hiroshige. Originating from his most famous series, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, this design is the first of three depictions of summer rain in the series. Hiroshige masterfully captures the steady, slanting "plum rain" typical of June (named for the fruit that appears then), perfectly conveying a pleasant sea of dull skies and rich greens. A steep green hill dominates the left foreground, while below, boatmen protected by straw rain capes pole their loads of lumber along the Kanda River. People walk up the far slope past the outer walls of the Yushima Seidō Shrine, which was founded in the seventeenth century for the study of Confucianism. Birds in the sky seem at ease, bathed in the warm summer shower. From a condition standpoint, it should be noted that this specific impression unfortunately has somewhat trimmed margins.