Nishiki-e (Multicolored Print), ink and color on paper. Cherry Blossoms line the banks of the Koganei River. Travelers traverse the neighboring road and cross the bridge. Some have stopped to picnic and take in the view on rest platforms under the cherry blossoms on the right side. The horizon glows a faint orange and the accompanying poem reveals that it is sunset. Poem signed Taihaido Donsho : The glow of sunset at the end of a cloudy spring day/ Foretells tomorrow's weather in Koganei,/ Where cherry blossoms are in full bloom. (Translation by Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Nishiki-e (Multicolored Print), ink and color on paper. Rainy night scene that renders everything in monochrome grays besides the vibrant blue water and the two travelers. Down the road right of center is the torii gate to Azuma Shrine which is hidden in a grove of trees in the upper left of the print. The rain comes down at a diagonal rendered in light repetitive lines. Poem signed Shobaitei Akindo: What is she praying for?/ She is on one of her "hundred visits", stepping fast/ Around the fence of Azuma Shrine./ In the rain at night. (Translation by Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Nishiki-e (Multicolored Print), ink and color on paper. Two boats are moored at Shiba Bay along the right side. Clouds drift close to the horizon line and allow the silhouette of the trees to stand out. The orange glow of the clouds indicate the approaching evening. Buildings line the banks of the bay on the left side. Poem: Dead leaves on Gotenyama Hill/ Are blown up the the sky by the wind./ Fishing boats are scattered away/ On the bay of Eo at Shibaura.
Nishiki-e (Multicolored Print), ink and color on paper. Depicted is the Ikegami Honmonji temple that was completed in 1282 and founded by Buddhist priest and philosopher Nichiren. The site is thought to be where Nichiren passed away. This is referenced in the accompanying poem that mentions the founder going to Nirvana. The landscape is rendered in a series of dark and washed out blues creating a misty poetic quality. The red temple building stands out among the forest grove it is settled in. At the foot of the hill is a small town occupied by temple visitors and vendors. Poem signed Shunkutei Tareyasu : By virtue of the truth of the Eight Scrolls,/ One prolongs one's age./ The founder of the temple went to Nirvana/ as the evening bell was striking. (Translation by Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Nishiki-e (Multicolored Print), ink and color on paper. Boats mingle amongst river grass as they return by way of the river in Gyotaku. Two large white sails dominate the composition, smaller cargo and fishing boats surround them. These small boats lead the eye back to small houses lining the river bank on the far left. A soft orange lines the horizon and fades into the warm yellow sky. Poem: The boats, homeward bound/ Are driven by irresistible winds/ to the divided streams of/ the "cat-haunted" river in Gyotoku. (Translation by Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Nishiki-e (Multicolored Print), ink and color on paper. Geese descend down to the marshy land of Haneda. At the center of the composition in a tree filled grove a shrine is marked by the torii gate at the end of the grassy path. Two figures can be seen walking away from the shrine. In the distance sails can be seen just past the marsh grasses. The area depicted in this print would become the site for Tokyo’s Haneda airport today. Poem: Over the marsh at Haneda/ Wild geese are descending/ Like a ladder from the sky (Translation by Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Nishiki-e (Multicolored Print), ink and color on paper. Fishermen line the softly sloped shores of Tama river. Willow tree branches blow delicately in the wind along with sparse river grasses. In the back the full moon hangs over the scene. In other versions of this print the moon is rendered with mica which is a metallic pigment that creates a striking shimmer in the print. The Tama river ran along Edo’s western border and in opposition to the Sumida that ran through the city and had metropolitan associations, the Tama had more rustic, poetic associations. It evokes images of the empty Musashino moor and the autumn moon. Poem signed Asanoyadō Massugu: The image of the moon in the autumn night which is luminous as day/ lingers on the Tama stream as the river lingers by the Twin Pines. (Translation by Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Nishiki-e (Multicolored Print), ink and color on paper. The sloping hillsides of Asuka are covered in sparse trees and white snow. Travelers walk on the snow covered path toward the village tucked into the bottom left corner. The print is speckled by snow that continues to fall. Poem signed Shōyōan Kōjin (or Takahito): The snow falling heavily in the dusk not only covers up signs / that warn against breaking branches of the cherry trees on Asuka Hill, but breaks down the branches, as well. (Translation by Cleveland Museum of Art)
Nishiki-e (Multicolored print), ink and color on paper. The print depicts the Ichikoku bridge in Edo. Four or five citizens populate the bridge. Behind it are the city walls and other bridges crisscossing the river. The city fades into a hazy mist that leads up to Mt. Fuji in the upper left of the print. Fuji is balanced out by a willow tree on the right peeking into frame in the extreme foreground. Fukibokashi ink laying technique is used to create gradients in the sky and water. Site located in Yaesu, Chuo, Tokyo.
Nishiki-e (multicolored print) ink and color on paper. Fuji is tucked away in the far left of the composition, in the midground. In the foreground a gathering of people dominates. Two men in green at the center are Manzai dancers, a comedic dance done in pairs. The women to their left carrying shamisen are Torioi singers, female musicians that would sing door to door identifable by their straw amigasa hats. Entering into the frame on the right is a Daikagura troupe, known for their aecrobatic acts and lion dance performance. The shop behind the group is an indigo shop, the shimenawa and fern palm decorations indicate it is the New Year holiday. Site located in Surugadai, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
Nishiki-e (Multicolored print), ink and color on paper. Fuji sits slightly left of center on the horizon. Snow covers a scene at the base of castle ramparts. Pine trees hang over the water atop the rampart walls. Two rows of buildings and boats line the river bank. Figures cross the stone bridge and are dwarfed by the towering ramparts. Site located in Chuo, Tokyo.
Nishiki-e (Multicolored print), ink and color on paper. Fuji is on the far left on the low horizon. An atmospheric effect is created by the gradient red band on the horizon. Large, single mast sail boats fill the waters around Tsukuda island. Around them smaller boats carrying fishermen mingle. The gradient blues of the foreground water are echoed in the blue gradient of the sky. Site located in Tsukuda, Chuo, Tokyo.
Nishiki-e (Multicolored Print), ink and color on paper. A bridge sits high above the Kaneda river as small boats filled with cargo pass underneath. The area is refered to as Ochanomizu meaning "tea water" in reference to a story of the Shogun making his tea from the water of the river. Pine trees line the hill bordering the river on the left. Gradient is used to create variety in the green hills and Fuji peaks through the trees. Site is located in Surugadai, Chiyoda, Bunkyo, Tokyo.
Nishiki-e (Multicolored print), ink and color on paper. Fuji is depicted at the horison line highlighted by a purple-brown gradient created using the fukibokashi technique. Just in front is the Ryogoke bridge crossing over the Sumida river. The bridge was originally construced in 1659 and is just upstream from where the Sumida meets the Kaneda river which is depicted in the previous print in the series. In the foreground fishing and merchant boats fill the river. A willow tree peacks into the frame over a dock where two women get on to a leisure boat. Site located in Ryogoku, Sumida, Tokyo.
Nishiki-e (Multicolored print), ink and color on paper. Three women exit a boat on the bank of the Sumida and walk down a path lined with Cherry blossoms. On the opposite bank Fuji sits to the far left and slightly to the right of it the roof of the Asakusa Kannon Temple rises above the surrounding city. Site located in Mukojina, Sumida, Tokyo.
Nishiki-e (Multicolored print), ink and color on paper. Residents of Edo mingle on the open lawn surrounded by pines and cherry blossoms on Asuka hill. Just past the park is the shops of Edo and Mt. Fuji framed by the trees in the foreground. The compsoition is divided by the gradient blue sky and the vibrant green grass. The smooth contour of the hill seperates the two sections. Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune planted cherry blossoms and opened the hill for the citizen of Edo. Later in 1873 Asuka would become one of the first public parks established in Meiji Japan. Site located in Oji, Kita, Tokyo.
Nishiki-e (Multicolored print), ink and color on paper. Two women enjoy the view from a teahouse overlooking rice fields with Fuji in the distance. Persimmons trees frame the hilltop spot, one overhanging the teahouse awning and the other down the hillside to the right. The persimminons along with the flowers in the center foreground indicate the fall season. Site located in Zoshigaya, Toshima, Tokyo.
Nishiki-e (Multicolored print), ink and color on paper. Yuhigaoka meaning 'Twilight Hill' is depicted in the fall cover in Japanese maples with bright red-orange leaves. Across the river are open fields and a road leading to a small village. Fuji is the center of the images partially obscured by the trees. Site located in Meguro, Tokyo.
Nishiki-e (Multicolored print), ink and color on paper. The Tone river is from the top of Konodai or Wild Goose Hill. The hillside leading down to the river is dotted with Japanese maples in their fall colors. Boats travel down the river and fields lead back to Fuji set against gradient pinks. Site located in Konnodai, Ichikawa, Chiba.
