A Ferry on the Sumida River in the Cherry Season
by Koho Shoda
by Koho Shoda
$200–$1,500. Still life prints are among the artist's most iconic works. Good nature prints: $500–$1,000. Key value factors: Shoda Koho's elegant nature prints are beautifully produced and accessible to beginning collectors.
This [meisho-e](/glossary/meisho-e) depicts a traditional ferry crossing the Sumida River during hanami season, when the river's eastern banks at Mukojima were among Edo's most celebrated viewing sites. Shoda likely composed the scene with a low horizon line, placing pale cherry boughs in full bloom against a sky shading through graduated [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) from pale rose to cool grey. Figures aboard the flat-bottomed ferry would be rendered small against the expanse of water, reinforcing the sense of seasonal passage. The Sumida in spring was a recurring subject in Edo and Meiji-era printmaking, and Shoda brings his nihonga training to bear in the delicate treatment of blossoms and the atmospheric handling of reflected light on the river's surface.
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.
A Ferry on the Sumida River in the Cherry Season was created by Koho Shoda (庄田耕峰).
A Ferry on the Sumida River in the Cherry Season depicts landscapes, cherry blossoms, and boats & ships, set at Sumida River.
