View to the North From Asukayama, No. 17 in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
Utagawa Hiroshige
Asian Art
Asukayama, Japan's first public park, was opened in 1737 as an act of piety by the shogun Yoshimune (1684–1751), who ordered the planting of hundreds of cherry trees there to create a pleasant place for popular outings. Into the distance extends a delicate green haze, spreading out to a gray-wash pattern of rice paddies and a blue line at the horizon suggesting the Tone River. Hovering above this all, streaked with thin bands of clouds, is the accentuated outline of Mount Tsukuba.
MEDIUM
Woodblock print
DATES
5th month of 1856
PERIOD
Edo Period, Ansei Era
DIMENSIONS
Image: 13 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. (34 x 22.2 cm)
Sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36 x 23.5 cm) (show scale)
MARKINGS
Publisher: Shitaya Uo Ei
SIGNATURE
Hiroshige-ga
COLLECTIONS
Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
30.1478.17
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Anna Ferris
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1930, provenance not yet documented; by 1930, acquired by Anna Ferris of Summit, NJ; 1930, gift of Anna Ferris to the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Cherry-viewing scene in classic Edo style, where picnickers have spread carpets on the ground and are enjoying the sake and other refreshments. Two men, kimonos tucked up, indulge in an impromptu dance and along the bluff stands an older woman with possibly her grandchild, most likely engaged in sailing small dishes into the wind, an amusement for which this spot was known. Asukayama is a continuation of the northeast facing bluff that began at Ueno (see plate 15). It was Japan's first public park, having opened in 1737 by the shogun Yoshimune. In commemoration of the founding of the nearby Oji Gongen Shrine, Yoshimune ordered the planting of hundreds of cherry trees to create a pleasant space for popular outings. In Hiroshige's time, it ranked with Ueno (pl. 11), Gotenyama (pl. 28) and the Sumida embankment as one of the great cherry-blossom sites of Edo. In 1873, it was officially made into one of the first public parks of Tokyo under the new Meiji government. Over the distance is a green haze spreading out to a gray pattern of rice paddies and above is the outline of Mount Tsukuba.
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858). View to the North From Asukayama, No. 17 in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 5th month of 1856. Woodblock print, Image: 13 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. (34 x 22.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.17 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 30.1478.17_PS20.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 30.1478.17_PS20.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2023
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