Artwork
東海道五十三次之内 庄野 白雨|Shower at Shōno
東海道五十三次之内 庄野 白雨|Shower at Shōno is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Utagawa Hiroshige. It dates from 1834 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1834 by Utagawa Hiroshige, this woodblock print forms part of his celebrated series that records each post station along the Tōkaidō road. The image captures a moment of heavy rain at Shōno, one of the fifty‑three waypoints, and illustrates the physical strain of travel on a steep, muddy incline.
Subject & Meaning
Four wayfarers are shown climbing a slick slope, their straw hats and umbrellas drenched, clothing clinging to their bodies. The darkened sky and bent trees convey the suddenness of the storm, while the travelers’ determined stride suggests perseverance despite adverse conditions.
Technique & Style
Executed with ink and color on paper, the print relies on swift, sketch‑like lines to suggest falling rain and the motion of the figures. Cross‑hatching creates texture on the wet ground and foliage, while the limited palette emphasizes the somber atmosphere of the downpour.
History & Provenance
The work belongs to Hiroshige’s series *The Fifty‑three Stations of the Tōkaidō*, produced during the late Edo period when travel guides were popular. Prints from this series were widely circulated as affordable images, and the Shōno scene has been preserved in several museum collections as an example of Hiroshige’s landscape focus within ukiyo‑e.
Artist & collection
Artist
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.
