Shinagawa- Departure of a Daimyō c. 1832 - 1833

Curator: Utagawa Hiroshige's woodblock print, "Shinagawa - Departure of a Daimyo," created circa 1832-1833, presents a slice of 19th-century life in Japan. The print utilizes ink and color on paper, and captures a landscape bustling with activity. Editor: It’s remarkably composed; the converging lines of the buildings draw your eye deep into the scene, contrasting with the expanse of the water to give a very contained yet somehow, spacious atmosphere. But what really strikes me is the density, the sheer number of people implied in the title. Curator: The print's title, referencing the departure of a daimyo – a feudal lord – provides insight into the context of the scene, reflecting the hierarchical social structures and elaborate processions of the Edo period. Consider how the artist employs line and color. Notice how the receding rooftops on the right-hand side balance the harbor’s wide plane of blues and purples to the left, and foreground these darker silhouettes of laborers walking past vendors, toward what end, we cannot know. The use of linear perspective is simple yet quite effective. Editor: Absolutely, that perspective contributes so much to the narrative! But it also asks the question: what do the common people make of these powerful figures, of the entire power structure suggested by the daimyo’s departure? This print acts as a window onto their everyday lives and perspectives during the feudal era. Hiroshige cleverly directs our gaze towards both the opulence of the elite and the labor of the masses. Curator: By focusing on spatial relationships, on the forms and planes that create pictorial balance and harmony, we discern an artistic strategy that allows this socio-historical dynamic to present itself organically. This balance in turn allows a careful study of texture throughout the entire scene. We observe both roughness and fine delicacy in equal measure, for example in the subtle rendering of surface detail on the buildings to the right. Editor: I think, viewed today, Hiroshige's work serves as a poignant reminder of the layered nature of society; even within moments of grand spectacle, life persists, demanding our attention. The print certainly succeeds in revealing something far larger than itself. Curator: Precisely, and in the careful arrangement of colors, we are guided toward our understanding of the social scene before us; a balance of forms supports the tension in its narrative—ultimately giving this work its undeniable appeal and conceptual integrity.