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Wisterias at Kameido — Kameido Fuji by Ogata Gekko — Japanese Woodblock print

Wisterias at Kameido — Kameido Fuji

by Ogata Gekko

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Japanese Art Open Database

Description

A second Gekko design on the wisteria at Kameido Tenjin Shrine, this meisho-e likely differs from its companion piece in viewpoint, figure content, or seasonal emphasis. The motif held sufficient pictorial variety to sustain multiple compositions — the shrine's extensive grounds and distinctive architectural features offered different compositional vantage points, while the integration of visiting figures could shift the balance between landscape and genre content. Where one version might concentrate on the horizontal sweep of the arbors and the bridge's reflection, another may place women in spring kimono and children more prominently in the foreground, lending the scene a livelier social character. Gekko's key-block line work for wisteria maintains fine detail in the individual florets while allowing the cluster as a whole to read as a unified mass of color, a balance between botanical specificity and decorative effect characteristic of Meiji kacho-e and nature-landscape prints.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Wisterias at Kameido — Kameido Fuji was created by Ogata Gekko (尾形月耕).

Wisterias at Kameido — Kameido Fuji depicts landscapes.