Object numberX.224

Fukagawa Timberyard

Portfolio/Seriesfrom the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Date1856

Artist Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重) (Japanese, 1797-1858)

Publisher Uoya Eikichi

CultureJapanese

MediumWoodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

DimensionsImage: 13 5/16 x 8 3/4 in. (33.8 x 22.3 cm)
Sheet (Vertical ōban): 14 3/16 x 9 1/8 in. (36.1 x 23.2 cm)

Period19th c (Edo period)

Classification(s)

SignedOn recto, lower left, signed in block: 広重筆 (Hiroshige hitsu)

InscribedOn recto, upper right, in block: 名所江戸百景 (One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei); 深川木場 (Timberyard in Fukagawa, Fukagawa Kiba)

MarkingsOn recto, upper right, censor's seal, in block: 改、辰八 (aratame, Dragon 8) On recto, lower left, publisher's seal partially trimmed, in block: 魚栄 (Uoei)

Vassar Exhibitions

Bunmei Kaika: Political Landscape in Early Modern and Modern Japan

Label TextUtagawa Hiroshige’s depictions of places of industry show how non-entertainment–based businesses or facilities were organized by the government. First Cuckoo of the Year at Tsukudajima (left) illustrates boats anchored near Tsukuda Island in Edo Bay at dusk. The island was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1582 when he resettled fishermen from Tsukudamura (in present-day Osaka Prefecture). The island’s main purpose was to supply the shogun with fresh seafood; the surplus was then permitted to be sold to the public. After the Great Meireki Fire in 1657 destroyed more than half of Edo, the shogunate ordered lumberyards throughout the city center to relocate to its outskirts in Fukugawa (right). In a peaceful winter scene made two centuries later, Hiroshige captures two loggers at work amid the snow. In these works, he places these sites in tranquil moments only, far-removed from the bustle of the working class. Romanticized landscapes, Hiroshige’s prints of industry reveal how the professions of the working class were elevated to become consumable products.

Terms

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu