Shōno: Driving Rain (Shōno, hakuu)

Artist Utagawa Hiroshige I 歌川広重 (Japanese, 1797–1858)

Dateabout 1833-34

Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper

DimensionsHorizontal ōban: 22.5 x 35.2 cm (8 7/8 x 13 7/8 in.)

ClassificationsPrints

MarkingsCensor's seal: kiwame

Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection

Terms

Japanese Print

Object number1901.1086

DescriptionNo. 46 in the series
Label TextFifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō comprises views along “Eastern Sea Road,” which connected he three largest metropolitan centers in Japan: Edo, Kyoto and Osaka. By Hiroshige’s time, it had transitioned from a somewhat hazardous but utilitarian route used by the emperor to a refurbished recreational one for travelers venturing into the countryside for sightseeing, pilgrimage, and adventure. The landscape was highly variable and full of famous sites, ensuring that the Tōkaidō had a special presence in Edo period (1603-1868) visual culture. Hiroshige portrayed it many times over the course of his career, but this series—the first exploring each station on the road—launched his celebrity and was widely coveted. As demonstrated here, while each print is totally distinct from the next, they all share similarly balanced compositions and imaginative uses of perspective. One of the most widely admired works in the series, this print depicts a moment of chaos as palanquin bearers are caught in an intense torrential downpour. None of the figures seem to know the best course of action: two run down the hill buffering rain with their umbrellas, while the other three continue their trek upwards. The intensity of the storm is implied by the streaky gray ink as well as the trees bending to the force of the wind and seem to be obscured the further away they become.

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