Four Views from the series Eight Views of Omi (Omi Hakkei)
- Series:
- Eight Views of Omi
- Date:
- About 1830
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
- 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
This color woodblock print from around 1830 presents four scenes from the "Eight Views of Omi" on a single sheet — an ambitious multi-panel format that compresses the series' full seasonal range into one composition. The arrangement allows the viewer to compare the different atmospheric conditions — evening glow, returning sails, night rain, descending geese — side by side, revealing the series' systematic exploration of light and weather at Lake Biwa.
More Prints by Utagawa Hiroshige
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)
Woodblock print
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Four Views from the series Eight Views of Omi (Omi Hakkei) was created by Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重) in About 1830.
Yes — Four Views from the series Eight Views of Omi (Omi Hakkei) is part of the Eight Views of Omi series by Utagawa Hiroshige.
Four Views from the series Eight Views of Omi (Omi Hakkei) depicts landscapes, eight views of ōmi, and eight views (hakkei).