The Upper Reaches of the Tama Water Supply Flowing through the Koganei Embankment thumbnail 1
The Upper Reaches of the Tama Water Supply Flowing through the Koganei Embankment thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

The Upper Reaches of the Tama Water Supply Flowing through the Koganei Embankment

Woodblock Print
1857 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This uchiwa-e (rigid fan print) design by Hiroshige shows the upper reaches of the Tama River Water Supply at Koganei, some 20 kilometres from where it flowed through the western part of Edo and went below ground at the Yotsuya Barrier. Large and ancient cherry trees blossom along both sides of the watercourse, and Mount Fuji rises in the south-west above the reddening horizon. A woman, captivated by the evening view, sits on a bench with a towel thrown over her shoulder and sips from a cup she has filled from the flask beside her. The Tama River Water Supply had a total length of nearly 50 kilometres and was constructed in the mid-17th century to supplement the Kanda Water Supply further to the north. The three known designs from this ‘Famous Rivers’ series, published the year before Hiroshige died, are remarkable for the quality of calm engendered by their wide horizons and the unusual way in which their female subjects gaze into the distance with their backs turned to the viewer.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • The Upper Reaches of the Tama Water Supply Flowing through the Koganei Embankment (assigned by artist)
  • A Mirror of Famous Rivers in the Eastern Capital (series title)
Materials and techniques
Colour print from woodblocks
Brief description
Woodblock print, Utagawa Hiroshige I; 'The Upper Reaches of the Tama Water Supply Flowing through the Koganei Embankment', from the series 'A Mirror of Famous Rivers in the Eastern Capital'; fan print, Japanese, 1857
Physical description
Fan print, aiban size. Artist signature: Hiroshige ga. Publisher mark: Ibaya Senzaburo. Censorship seal: aratame. Date seal: Snake 1 (1857/1).
Dimensions
  • Approx. height: 220mm
  • Approx. width: 290mm
Style
Object history
Purchased from S. M. Franck & Co., accessioned in 1886. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Place depicted
Summary
This uchiwa-e (rigid fan print) design by Hiroshige shows the upper reaches of the Tama River Water Supply at Koganei, some 20 kilometres from where it flowed through the western part of Edo and went below ground at the Yotsuya Barrier. Large and ancient cherry trees blossom along both sides of the watercourse, and Mount Fuji rises in the south-west above the reddening horizon. A woman, captivated by the evening view, sits on a bench with a towel thrown over her shoulder and sips from a cup she has filled from the flask beside her. The Tama River Water Supply had a total length of nearly 50 kilometres and was constructed in the mid-17th century to supplement the Kanda Water Supply further to the north. The three known designs from this ‘Famous Rivers’ series, published the year before Hiroshige died, are remarkable for the quality of calm engendered by their wide horizons and the unusual way in which their female subjects gaze into the distance with their backs turned to the viewer.
Collection
Accession number
E.12082-1886

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Record createdMarch 12, 2003
Record URL
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