Blossoms on the Tama River Embankment (Tamagawa-zutsumi no hana) is an 1856 vertical landscape print from Utagawa Hiroshige's celebrated One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei). The Tamagawa, southwest of the shogunal capital, was both a vital waterway feeding Edo's aqueducts and a popular springtime destination, when the long earthen embankments along its banks erupted into cherry blossom. Hiroshige stages the scene as a panorama: the embankment cuts across the middle of the composition, lined with pale pink cherry trees in full bloom, while the river curves below and distant fields and farmhouses extend toward the horizon. Strolling figures of all classes—samurai, townspeople, women with parasols—move along the top of the bank, embodying the convivial spirit of hanami, the seasonal practice of blossom viewing. The Edo [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e) print uses high vantage and dramatic vertical framing typical of the Hyakkei series, creating a powerful sense of space without losing the local human detail. The carefully graduated [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) in the sky and the muted greens of the surrounding fields balance the soft pinks of the blossoms, while subtle touches of red and indigo in the figures animate the foreground. The Art Institute of Chicago holds this impression, a strong example of how Hiroshige combined seasonal subject, recognizable landscape, and structured composition to extend a classical motif of nature appreciation into the modern Edo cityscape.
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.
Blossoms on the Tama River Embankment (Tamagawa-zutsumi no hana), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)" was created by Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重) in 1856.
Yes — Blossoms on the Tama River Embankment (Tamagawa-zutsumi no hana), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)" is part of the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo series by Utagawa Hiroshige.
Blossoms on the Tama River Embankment (Tamagawa-zutsumi no hana), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)" depicts landscapes, edo & tokyo, and famous places (meisho-e).
