View of Mitsumata in the Eastern Capital (Toto Mitsumata no zu), from the series "Views of the Eastern Capital (Toto no zu)"
- Date:
- early 1830s
View of [Mitsumata](/glossary/mitsumata) in the Eastern Capital, from Utagawa Kuniyoshi's series Views of the Eastern Capital, captures one of the most striking riverscapes of Edo, where the Sumida River forks into three streams near the warehouse district of Nakasu. The print, dated around 1830 and held in the Art Institute of Chicago, depicts the open water and broad sky of Mitsumata with boats moving along the surface and the silhouettes of city buildings receding into the distance. Mitsumata was beloved by Edo residents as a place to watch the moon, to enjoy fireworks, and to take pleasure-boat outings, and Kuniyoshi capitalises on the openness of the site to create a luminous composition that rivals contemporary landscapes by his peers. Although his reputation rests heavily on Edo [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e) warrior prints, here he demonstrates a sophisticated landscape designer's hand, balancing strong horizontals with the play of [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations in sky and water. The series fits into a wider current of landscape printmaking that exploded during the late 1820s and 1830s as Hokusai and Hiroshige redefined what ukiyo-e could do with topography. Kuniyoshi's contributions to that field, while less famous, are extensive and reveal the same designer's intelligence that animates his warrior prints. The Mitsumata view is also a useful document of how Edo residents encountered their city's waterways: as sites of commerce, recreation, and ritual at once, places where the practical work of trade unfolded alongside the seasonal pleasures that gave the city its rhythm.
Color woodblock print
Color woodblock print
Color woodblock print
Color woodblock print
View of Mitsumata in the Eastern Capital (Toto Mitsumata no zu), from the series "Views of the Eastern Capital (Toto no zu)" was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳) in early 1830s.
Yes — View of Mitsumata in the Eastern Capital (Toto Mitsumata no zu), from the series "Views of the Eastern Capital (Toto no zu)" is part of the Views of the Eastern Capital (Toto no zu) series by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.
View of Mitsumata in the Eastern Capital (Toto Mitsumata no zu), from the series "Views of the Eastern Capital (Toto no zu)" depicts edo & tokyo and famous places (meisho-e).