print, woodblock-print
landscape
ukiyo-e
woodblock-print
Dimensions: 13 7/16 × 8 7/8 in. (34.1 × 22.5 cm) (image, vertical ōban)
Copyright: Public Domain
Utagawa Hiroshige made this woodblock print titled "Hizen Province-Nagasaki", part of a series of views of Sixty-odd Provinces, in 19th-century Japan. The print presents a panoramic view of the Nagasaki coastline, with a distinctive, striped sail dominating the foreground and it offers more than just a picturesque scene. During the Edo period, Nagasaki was a key port for trade with the Dutch and Chinese, making it a gateway for new ideas and goods. Hiroshige's choice to depict this location highlights the country's complex relationship with the outside world. Was Japan embracing these foreign influences, or cautiously observing them from a distance? As art historians, to answer these questions we delve into period maps, trade records, and cultural commentaries, examining how artists like Hiroshige reflected and shaped the era's evolving social landscape.
Comments
No. 63 (Saikaidō group) on the content page for the series. The idea behind the series Famous Places of the Sixty-odd Provinces was to show one image for each of Japan's sixty-six provinces. Although some Japanese provinces are mountainous, the great majority are along the coasts where most people lived and worked. This print captures a bird's eye view of the west coast of Kyñshñ Island in southern Japan. V-shaped inlets lead to coastal plains from which mountains rise dramatically. In Hiroshige's composition, the boldly striped sail of a ship in the foreground gives a sense of distance to the shore.
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