Who painted 道中膝栗毛京都の町|Street in Kyoto?

道中膝栗毛京都の町|Street in Kyoto was painted by Utagawa Hiroshige in 1840.

Where can I see 道中膝栗毛京都の町|Street in Kyoto?

道中膝栗毛京都の町|Street in Kyoto is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is 道中膝栗毛京都の町|Street in Kyoto?

道中膝栗毛京都の町|Street in Kyoto is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

道中膝栗毛京都の町|Street in Kyoto

Utagawa Hiroshige , 1840

道中膝栗毛京都の町|Street in Kyoto is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Utagawa Hiroshige. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

The artist used a technique called *cross-hatching*—tiny crisscrossed lines—to create shadows and depth, especially on the mountain.

This woodblock print shows a group of people carrying a long pole with bundles strapped to it. One person is balancing on the pole while others hold it steady. In the background, a mountain rises with a small village or temple at its base, and a few trees line the horizon. The scene is drawn in bold lines with flat colors and some text along the top and sides.

The artist used a technique called *cross-hatching*—tiny crisscrossed lines—to create shadows and depth, especially on the mountain. This print was made in Japan around 1840, showing everyday life in Kyoto.

Next, check out cross-hatching to see how artists use simple lines to make complex textures.

Overview

Created circa 1840 by Utagawa Hiroshige, this woodblock print depicts a street scene in Kyoto. Executed in ink and color on paper, the image presents a group of figures transporting a long pole laden with bundles, a distant mountain with a small settlement at its foot, and a sparse line of trees on the horizon. The composition follows Hiroshige’s characteristic horizontal format, emphasizing landscape over individual portraiture.

Subject & Meaning

The central activity shows laborers balancing and supporting a pole used for moving goods, suggesting everyday commercial activity in the city. The backdrop of the mountain and a modest village or temple grounds the scene within the surrounding geography, highlighting the integration of urban life with the natural environment typical of Edo‑period travel imagery.

Technique & Style

Hiroshige employs traditional ukiyo‑e woodblock methods, combining bold outlines with flat areas of color. Cross‑hatching—delicate intersecting lines—provides subtle shading on the mountain, creating a sense of depth without compromising the print’s graphic clarity. The composition balances detailed human figures against simplified landscape elements, a hallmark of Hiroshige’s approach to atmospheric representation.

History & Provenance

Part of Hiroshige’s broader shift toward landscape series such as *The Fifty‑three Stations of the Tōkaidō*, this print was produced in Japan during the late Edo period. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work has circulated among collectors of ukiyo‑e prints since the 19th century and is now referenced in museum collections as an example of Hiroshige’s urban‑landscape studies.

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.