Cherry Blossoms at Saga thumbnail 1
Not on display

Cherry Blossoms at Saga

Woodblock Print
1854 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The springtime scene in this uchiwa-e (rigid fan print) design by Hiroshige is the Saga area in the northwestern part of Kyoto. The topographic features, though somewhat stylized, are recognisable as the Hozu river with Arashiyama and the Tonase Waterfall in the background. The spit of land immediately behind the boat is Nakanoshima, the narrow island that in most depictions of this locale is shown linked by the Togetsu Bridge. The bridge's omission here is deliberate--an allusion to a scene in the popular illustrated novel Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji, which is set in the fifteenth century.
Prince Genji, who is poling the boat along the river, sports a distinctively peaked forelock and is dressed, like his female companion, in richly ornamented robes. The so-called Genji-ko symbols in the heart-shaped cartouche of the picture title correspond to the Matsukaze and Hanachirusato chapters of The Tale of Genji.

Object details

Category
Object type
Titles
  • Cherry Blossoms at Saga (assigned by artist)
  • Prince Genji and Scenes of Snow, Moon and Flowers (series title)
Materials and techniques
Colour print from woodblocks
Brief description
Woodblock print, Utagawa Hiroshige I; 'Cherry Blossoms at Saga', from the series 'Prince Genji and Scenes of Snow, Moon and Flowers'; fan print, Japanese, 1854
Physical description
Fan print, aiban size. Artist signature: Hiroshige ga. Publisher mark: Ibaya Senzaburo. Censorship seal: aratame. Date seal: Tiger 1 (1854/1).
Dimensions
  • Approx. height: 220mm
  • Approx. width: 290mm
Style
Credit line
R. Leicester Harmsworth Gift
Summary
The springtime scene in this uchiwa-e (rigid fan print) design by Hiroshige is the Saga area in the northwestern part of Kyoto. The topographic features, though somewhat stylized, are recognisable as the Hozu river with Arashiyama and the Tonase Waterfall in the background. The spit of land immediately behind the boat is Nakanoshima, the narrow island that in most depictions of this locale is shown linked by the Togetsu Bridge. The bridge's omission here is deliberate--an allusion to a scene in the popular illustrated novel Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji, which is set in the fifteenth century.
Prince Genji, who is poling the boat along the river, sports a distinctively peaked forelock and is dressed, like his female companion, in richly ornamented robes. The so-called Genji-ko symbols in the heart-shaped cartouche of the picture title correspond to the Matsukaze and Hanachirusato chapters of The Tale of Genji.
Collection
Accession number
E.2923-1913

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Record createdDecember 17, 2003
Record URL
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