Moon Pine, Ueno, No. 89 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
Utagawa Hiroshige
Asian Art
In Edo, there was a particular taste for naming trees that were distinguished by their age or their form. Pine trees, which tend to live long and grow in strange shapes, were the most common of these. The example seen here was called the Moon Pine, not only because of its full, round shape but also because one could discern various phases of the moon by looking at the tree from different angles. One twentieth-century commentary also referred to it as the Rope Pine, presumably because of its resemblance to a loop of rope.
MEDIUM
Woodblock print
DATES
7th month of 1856
PERIOD
Edo Period, Ansei Era
DIMENSIONS
sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36.0 x 23.5 cm);
image: 13 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. (13 3/8 x 8 3/4 cm) (show scale)
MARKINGS
Publisher: Shitaya Uo Ei. Date and censor seal at upper margin.
SIGNATURE
Hiroshige-ga
COLLECTIONS
Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
30.1478.89
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
This is the second view of the Moon Pine in the series, now seen from a different angle (see print 11). On the far shore is a row of commoners' houses, now the neighborhood Ikenohata 1-2 chome. Above, there are three fire towers; the one seen through the loop of the pine was the main estate of Maeda, lord of Kaga. Today, this land belongs to Tokyo University. In Edo it was a custom to name trees that were distinguished by their age or form and there are four other prints in this series which include the name of a famous pine in title (see prints 26, 61, 97, and 110). The name "Moon Pine" referred not only to its full round shape but also to various other phases of the moon, seen by looking at the tree from different angles. The famous branch seen here is reported to have blown off in a storm in the early Meiji Period.
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858). Moon Pine, Ueno, No. 89 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 7th month of 1856. Woodblock print, sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36.0 x 23.5 cm);. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.89 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 30.1478.89_PS20.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 30.1478.89_PS20.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2023
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
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