Rain in Miyajima
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Bay is best known for the great torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine, which appears to float on the water at high tide. This woodblock print depicts the island during rainfall, when the shrine buildings, the surrounding cedar forests, and the shoreline dissolve into veils of gray and silver. Rain scenes hold a special place in Japanese printmaking, requiring the artist to convey moisture through hatched lines, blurred contours, and muted pigments. Koichi follows a tradition established by Hiroshige and continued by Kawase Hasui, in which falling rain becomes both a visual texture and an emotional register. The sacred island, normally bright with vermillion paint and green foliage, is transformed by the downpour into a hushed, monochromatic study.
More Prints by Okumura Koichi
More Rain Prints
Rain Shower at Shо̄no, from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tо̄kaidо̄ (Tо̄kaidо̄ gojusan tsugi)
1962
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Shōno: Driving Rain (Shōno hakuu), from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi no uchi), also known as the First Tōkaidō or Great Tōkaidō
c. 1833-36
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Omiya in Rain (Ame no Omiya)
Ame no Omiya
1930
Color woodblock print; oban
Evening Shower at Teradomari (Teradomari no yau), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)"
Teradomari no yau
1921
Color woodblock print; oban
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rain in Miyajima was created by Okumura Koichi (奥村厚一).
Rain in Miyajima depicts rain, set at Miyajima.