Artwork

Musashi, Omi, Yamashiro, and Settsu Provinces from the series Fashionable Six Jewel Rivers (Furyu Mu Tamagawa)

Musashi, Omi, Yamashiro, and Settsu Provinces from the series Fashionable Six Jewel Rivers (Furyu Mu Tamagawa) is a print by the Romanticist artist Kitagawa Utamaro. It dates from 1804 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created around 1804 by the Edo‑period ukiyo‑e artist Kitagawa Utamaro, this woodblock print belongs to the series known as Fashionable Six Jewel Rivers (Furyū Mu Tamagawa). It depicts a riverside scene associated with the provinces of Musashi, Ōmi, Yamashiro and Settsu, and is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Subject & Meaning

Four women walk along the riverbank, each attired in long, patterned robes and tall black hats. One holds a handheld fan, another a fan‑shaped object, while a third is accompanied by a child. Small figures are shown seated or crouching nearby, suggesting a leisurely, everyday moment in a natural setting.

Technique & Style

The print employs the delicate line work and subtle colour palette typical of Utamaro’s later period. Soft, muted tones dominate, punctuated by brighter reds and greens in the garments. The rendering of water’s ripples, foliage and the folds of the clothing demonstrates careful attention to texture and movement.

History & Provenance

The work was produced in the early nineteenth century as part of a popular series that combined landscape motifs with fashionable figures. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection through acquisition in the twentieth century, where it remains on view as an example of Utamaro’s exploration of contemporary urban life within a scenic context.