Who painted Kamata no Baien|名所江戸百景蒲田の梅園|Plum Garden at Kamata?

Kamata no Baien|名所江戸百景蒲田の梅園|Plum Garden at Kamata was painted by Utagawa Hiroshige in 1857.

Where can I see Kamata no Baien|名所江戸百景蒲田の梅園|Plum Garden at Kamata?

Kamata no Baien|名所江戸百景蒲田の梅園|Plum Garden at Kamata is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Kamata no Baien|名所江戸百景蒲田の梅園|Plum Garden at Kamata?

Kamata no Baien|名所江戸百景蒲田の梅園|Plum Garden at Kamata is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Kamata no Baien|名所江戸百景蒲田の梅園|Plum Garden at Kamata

Utagawa Hiroshige , 1857

Kamata no Baien|名所江戸百景蒲田の梅園|Plum Garden at Kamata is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Utagawa Hiroshige. It dates from 1857 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1857, this woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige forms part of his series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Executed with ink and color on paper, it portrays a plum garden in the Kamata district, then a rural area on the outskirts of Edo (now Tokyo). The Metropolitan Museum of Art currently holds the work in its collection.

Subject & Meaning

The scene captures a springtime garden where plum trees burst into white blossoms, their branches extending toward a pale pink sky. A modest wooden pavilion overlooks a pond, while figures walk along a path and small boats drift on the water, suggesting a tranquil leisure setting typical of seasonal Japanese landscapes.

Technique & Style

Hiroshige employs the characteristic ukiyo-e method of bold, clean outlines combined with flat areas of color, producing a calm, simplified visual effect. The composition balances delicate natural forms—trees, water, and sky—with the geometric clarity of the pavilion and pathway, emphasizing harmony between human activity and nature.

History & Provenance

The print was issued as the Kamata plum garden plate within the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo series, a project that documented notable locales around the capital. After its original circulation in the mid‑nineteenth century, the piece entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on display.

Artist & collection

Artist

Utagawa Hiroshige

Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重) or Andō Hiroshige (安藤広重), born Andō Tokutarō (安藤徳太郎; 1797 – 12 October 1858), was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, considered the last great master of that tradition.