Spring scene Arashiyama
- Medium:
- Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
- Image courtesy of
- Saru Gallery
Spring at Arashiyama means cherry blossoms—the slopes facing Togetsukyo bridge are densely planted with [sakura](/glossary/sakura) that draw crowds during hanami season. The print likely shows the Hozu and Katsura River in the middle ground with blossoming trees massed on the hillside above, and possibly figures or boats below. Tokuriki renders cherry blossom through pale pink keyblocks layered with denser pink and white accents, sometimes leaving [washi](/glossary/washi) unprinted to suggest highlights of petals catching light. Gradient [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) in the river or sky pulls the eye through the composition. The subject sits at the intersection of [meisho-e](/glossary/meisho-e) and the seasonal-cycle tradition that Japanese landscape printmaking inherited from waka and haiku. Tokuriki produced numerous Arashiyama prints across decades, varying the season, weather, and time of day in an iterative practice that recalls Hiroshige's serial approach to Edo-period landscape.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Spring scene Arashiyama was created by Tomikichiro Tokuriki (徳力富吉郎).
Spring scene Arashiyama depicts spring.
