#47 Fudō Waterfall at Ōji

Utagawa Hiroshige, artist

1797–1858

#47 Fudō Waterfall at Ōji, 1857, 9th month, Edo period (1600–1868)

Portfolio/Series title: 名所江戸百景 Meisho Edo Hyakkei (One-hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo)

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: color woodcut

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 335 x 218 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 344 x 232 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 13 3/16 x 8 9/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 13 9/16 x 9 1/8 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in

Credit line: Museum purchase: R. Charles and Mary Margaret Clevenger Fund

Accession number: 1999.0151

Not on display

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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"Asian Gallery," Jul-2003, Youmi Efurd
These two prints (1968.0001.087) belong to a series of 119 different designs for an ambitious set of 100 prints depicting the city of Edo and its environs. In the series, the artist captured certain scenes of festival and everyday life in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) between 1856 and his death in 1858. For instance, as seen in the Dyer’s District in Kanda, fabrics are hanging outside to be dried. Hiroshige also introduced innovative framing effects that inspired later European artists such as Vincent Van Gogh. For example, the Fudo Waterfall is framed by natural elements.

Archive Label 2003:
This print depicts Fudo Waterfall, which is marked as a sacred site by the tasseled rope slung between two trees. The waterfall is located near Shoju-in, a Buddhist temple. A temple attendant is serving tea to a figure seated in the foreground.
In his landscapes, Hiroshige often included clever associations to the subject matter portrayed. Shoju-in temple was dedicated to the Buddhist deity Fudo who is usually portrayed wreathed in fire and carrying a double-edged sword. Through the shading of the water, Hiroshige makes the waterfall resemble a sword, making a reference to the deity Fudo with whom the waterfall shares its name.