Artwork
京都名所之内 八瀬之里|Yase no Sato
京都名所之内 八瀬之里|Yase no Sato 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
The composition presents two figures bearing loads as they traverse a narrow earthen track beside a river, set against a bright sky and open fields.
Created circa 1834, this woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige depicts a modest rural settlement known as Yase no Sato, a locale outside Kyoto. The composition presents two figures bearing loads as they traverse a narrow earthen track beside a river, set against a bright sky and open fields. The work exemplifies Hiroshige’s focus on everyday landscape scenes rather than the urban entertainments typical of earlier ukiyo‑e.
Subject & Meaning
The image captures a moment of ordinary labor: two travelers, one shaded by a wide‑brimmed hat and the other cinched with a red cloth, move through a cultivated landscape of yellow wheat, green grass, and a solitary leafless tree. The inclusion of a modest building on a hill and the riverbank suggests a harmonious relationship between human activity and the surrounding natural environment, reflecting a quiet, seasonal rhythm of rural life.
Technique & Style
Executed in ink and color on paper, the print employs the characteristic ukiyo‑e method of carving separate woodblocks for each hue. Hiroshige’s palette relies on bold, flat areas of yellow, green, and blue, while simplified forms convey depth without intricate detail. The atmospheric quality arises from the contrast between the bright sky and the muted earth tones, a hallmark of his naturalistic yet stylized approach to landscape.
History & Provenance
Part of Hiroshige’s larger series of Kyoto’s scenic sites, the print was produced during the late Edo period, a time when the artist was expanding ukiyo‑e’s thematic range toward travel and countryside subjects. The piece entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains catalogued as an example of early 19th‑century Japanese printmaking and Hiroshige’s contribution to the genre.
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.
