Evening Bell at Mii Temple (Mii bansho), from the series "Eight Views of Omi (Omi hakkei no uchi)"

Series:: Eight Views of Omi (print 2 of 1)
Date:: c. 1834
Medium:: Color woodblock print; oban
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art Institute of Chicago

Typical Price

Later reprint (Meiji–Taisho era publishers): $50–$400
Good later impression (Edo-period, worn blocks): $1,500–$8,000
Good early impression (fine bokashi, vivid color): $8,000–$30,000
Fine early impression (exceptional atmospheric quality): $30,000–$80,000

Hiroshige transformed Japanese landscape printing through his mastery of bokashi (gradated wash) technique and sensitivity to weather, season, and light. His atmospheric landscapes directly influenced Impressionist painters in Europe after Japanese prints reached the West in the 1860s.

Description

Mii-dera (Onjoji temple) on the southern shore of Lake Biwa was famous for its bell, whose deep resonance gave this scene its name in the Eight Views of Omi sequence. Hiroshige's print captures the temple buildings and surrounding pines in the dim light of evening, with the massive bronze bell implied rather than prominently shown — its sound rather than its form shaping the atmosphere of the scene.

More Prints by Utagawa Hiroshige

Cranes in flight

n.d.

Color woodblock print; nagaban, surimono

Driving Rain at Shōno, from Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaidō

1833

color woodblock print

Kanda Myojin

Woodblock print

Komagata Temple & Azuma Bridge

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)

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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.

Mount Fuji in Japanese Woodblock Prints Meisho-e: Famous-Place Prints

Frequently Asked Questions

Evening Bell at Mii Temple (Mii bansho), from the series "Eight Views of Omi (Omi hakkei no uchi)" was created by Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重) in c. 1834.

Yes — Evening Bell at Mii Temple (Mii bansho), from the series "Eight Views of Omi (Omi hakkei no uchi)" is part of the Eight Views of Omi series (print 2 of 1) by Utagawa Hiroshige.

Evening Bell at Mii Temple (Mii bansho), from the series "Eight Views of Omi (Omi hakkei no uchi)" depicts landscapes, temples & shrines, and night scenes.