Large-Eye Seabream (Mede tai) and Bamboo Grass (Sasa), from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi)
- Series:
- A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi)
- Date:
- 19th century
- Medium:
- Ukiyo-e woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Large-Eye Seabream (Mede tai) and Bamboo Grass (Sasa) belongs to Utagawa Hiroshige's celebrated [kacho-e](/glossary/kacho-e) series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi), published by Eijudo in two installments from the 1830s through the late 1840s, with additional issues in the 1860s. The pun-laden title gives the print much of its character: medetai literally describes a large-eyed seabream but doubles as the standard Japanese term for auspicious, making the fish a fitting motif for celebratory occasions. Hiroshige renders the seabream in a graceful diagonal that occupies most of the sheet, building its scales from precisely keyed greys, pinks, and silvery whites, while a few stalks of bamboo grass (sasa) cross behind it as a green counterpoint. The print is accompanied by a poem in cursive script, a feature of the entire series. While Uo-zukushi sits within Edo [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e)'s bird-and-flower category rather than its landscape print tradition, the same designer's eye for clear silhouette, balanced color, and quietly observed natural form is at work. The impression at the Harvard Art Museums retains the soft gradations on the fish and the bright green of the bamboo grass that distinguish good early printings.
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.
Large-Eye Seabream (Mede tai) and Bamboo Grass (Sasa), from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi) was created by Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重) in 19th century.
Yes — Large-Eye Seabream (Mede tai) and Bamboo Grass (Sasa), from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi) is part of the A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi) series by Utagawa Hiroshige.
Large-Eye Seabream (Mede tai) and Bamboo Grass (Sasa), from the series A Shoal of Fishes (Uo-zukushi) depicts landscapes and fish.
