True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Night View of Cherry Blossom on Mukojima
by Inoue Yasuji
by Inoue Yasuji
$1,000–$8,000. Snow and night scenes tend to command premium prices for this artist. Key value factors: Inoue's Meiji-era Tokyo views, influenced by his teacher Kiyochika, have both artistic and historical value. His early death makes works scarce.
The cherry trees of Mukojima along the Sumida's eastern bank at night, their blossoms luminous in the darkness, are the subject of this atmospheric nocturne. Night viewing of the spring cherries — hanami extending into the evening with lanterns and sake — was one of the great pleasures of Edo popular culture, and the Mukojima embankment was among the most beloved locations for this tradition. Yasuji's composition captures the blossoms against the night sky with a restraint that avoids sentimentality, the trees' reflected light on the river adding depth to the dark composition.
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Night View of Cherry Blossom on Mukojima was created by Inoue Yasuji (井上安治).
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Night View of Cherry Blossom on Mukojima depicts landscapes, cherry blossoms, and night scenes, set at Tokyo.