Artwork

諸国名所百景肥前長崎唐船の津|Dutch and Chinese Ships in the Harbor at Nagasaki in Hizen Province

諸国名所百景肥前長崎唐船の津|Dutch and Chinese Ships in the Harbor at Nagasaki in Hizen Province is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Utagawa Hiroshige II. It dates from 3 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Utagawa Hiroshige II’s woodblock print titled “Dutch and Chinese Ships in the Harbor at Nagasaki in Hizen Province” depicts a bustling 19th‑century port scene. Executed in ink and color on paper, the work is part of the series “Various Famous Views of the Provinces.” The print is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on a large green vessel with red‑striped sails, its hull marked by a white eagle bearing a red eye and yellow talons. Smaller boats linger nearby, while distant mountains and a shoreline building frame the harbor, suggesting the coexistence of foreign trade ships and local activity in Nagasaki’s waters.

Technique & Style

Hiroshige II employed traditional ukiyo‑e woodblock methods, layering ink outlines with multiple color washes to render the ship’s vivid hull and the calm, light‑blue water. The use of bold red and white patterns on the sails and the precise rendering of flags exemplify the artist’s attention to detail within the commercial print tradition.

History & Provenance

Created in the early 1860s, the print reflects the period when Dutch and Chinese vessels regularly entered Nagasaki’s port under the Tokugawa shogunate’s limited foreign‑trade policy. It entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition in the late 20th century, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s Japanese prints collection.