Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797-1858)
Title: Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake 大はしあたけの夕立
Series: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo 名所江戸百景 Date: 1857
One of the two most iconic images in Ukiyo-e (along with Hokusai’s Great Wave), Ohashi Bridge is the undisputed masterpiece of the series. Our view is from above, and we see seven pedestrians hurrying along the Shin-Ohashi Bridge, vainly attempting to keep themselves covered as an afternoon thunderstorm interrupts the summer calm. Van Gogh was so impressed by this design that he created his own version in oils as an homage to this print, now in the Van Gogh museum. As an interesting contrast, a solitary boatman on the river itself seems unperturbed as he guides his log raft on the Sumida River. The rain is depicted in a most unusual way; it is shown as fine black lines that come down in an almost parallel sheet, with softer grey lines printed at slightly different angles. The lines are purposefully rather irregular and noncontiguous, a brilliant flex of the incomparable carvers and printers of this period.
We can all relate to the sudden downpour, including the three men that are trying to share a single umbrella, as well as the lone figure who seems determined to push through with only a traveling hat and a firm, wide stance.
Hiroshige is famous for his diagonally-oriented designs, as well as unusual viewpoints and strong cropping, especially for this groundbreaking series that influenced generations of our most prominent western artists, most notably van Gogh.
The New Great Bridge, Shin Ôhashi was completed in 1693, the name “new” referring to the existing Ôhashi (later Ryôgoku Bridge) that was located to the north of this location. Atake of the far bank was named after a gigantic bakufuship, the 1,500-ton Atake-maru, which was moored in front of the shogunate boathouses here on the far left bank from the 1630s, until 1682. The Japanese may see this as an example of yûdachi, an evening descent of the thunder god, known as a summer rain in which the heavens suddenly darken late in the day, releasing torrents of rain in large drops, which then quickly clears.
For such a famous design, nice examples like this one rather rarely appear on the market. A rather faded example sold in September of 2023 for $287,000, but that print had belonged to a celebrity. A somewhat comparable (but later) example was sold at Christies New York for $160,000 in 2000.
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. With a clean, fresh and sharp feeling. Right margin has been expertly extended with matching paper.
References: Henry Smith II: “Hiroshige: One Hundred Famous View of Edo”, plate 58. Andreas Marks, Japanese Woodblock Prints in 200 Masterpieces: From Ukiyo-e to Shin Hanga, number 149, page 460. See Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, Honolulu Museum of Art and many other books and collections.
Dimensions: ôban (35.2 x 24.2 cm) Publisher: Uo-ya Eikichi
Signature: Hiroshige ga
SKU: HIR548
