A Ferry on the Sumida River in the Cherry Season
by Koho Shoda
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
This 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 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.
More Prints by Koho Shoda
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.