Who painted 江戸高名会亭尽両国柳橋大のし|The Ono at Ryogoku Yanagibashi?

江戸高名会亭尽両国柳橋大のし|The Ono at Ryogoku Yanagibashi was painted by Utagawa Hiroshige in 1838.

Where can I see 江戸高名会亭尽両国柳橋大のし|The Ono at Ryogoku Yanagibashi?

江戸高名会亭尽両国柳橋大のし|The Ono at Ryogoku Yanagibashi is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is 江戸高名会亭尽両国柳橋大のし|The Ono at Ryogoku Yanagibashi?

江戸高名会亭尽両国柳橋大のし|The Ono at Ryogoku Yanagibashi is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

江戸高名会亭尽両国柳橋大のし|The Ono at Ryogoku Yanagibashi

Utagawa Hiroshige , 1838

江戸高名会亭尽両国柳橋大のし|The Ono at Ryogoku Yanagibashi is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Utagawa Hiroshige. It dates from 1838 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1838 by Utagawa Hiroshige, this woodblock print records a lively riverside tableau in the Ryōgoku Yanagibashi district.

Created circa 1838 by Utagawa Hiroshige, this woodblock print records a lively riverside tableau in the Ryōgoku Yanagibashi district. The composition centers on a two‑story establishment known as the Ono restaurant, set against a backdrop of a long wooden bridge, a modest blue‑tiled structure, and a sky of muted hue. The scene captures ordinary urban activity rather than the more common theatrical or pleasure‑quarter subjects of the period.

Subject & Meaning

The work foregrounds two women seated in a small boat, each holding a large fan that punctuates the subdued palette with a flash of colour. Their presence, together with the bustling bridge and the open‑balcony façade of the restaurant, conveys a snapshot of daily commerce and leisure along the Sumida River, reflecting Hiroshige’s interest in documenting the rhythms of everyday Edo life.

Technique & Style

Executed with ink and colour on paper, the print relies on bold, simplified forms and a restrained chromatic scheme to suggest depth. Linear perspective is implied through the converging lines of the bridge and the receding green fields, while cross‑hatching subtly models shadows on the building and water. The contrast between the bright fans and the surrounding tones exemplifies Hiroshige’s skill in balancing focal accents with overall harmony.

History & Provenance

The piece belongs to Hiroshige’s early output, produced before his famed series of landscape prints such as the Fifty‑Three Stations of the Tōkaidō. It was likely issued as a single sheet rather than part of a larger series, catering to a market interested in recognizable city landmarks. Surviving copies are held in several museum collections, confirming its circulation among both contemporary patrons and later collectors of ukiyo‑e.

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.