Koshigaya in Musashi Province

Catalog note / 解説

A large cherry tree extending beyond the upper border of the print dominates this scene, backed by an idyllic depiction of people strolling along a river bank, receding to a snow-covered Mount Fuji contrasted in white against the blue of the horizon. Hiroshige’s use of primary colors in this print is particularly striking. The tranquility of scene and the straightforward use of color, different from the drama and vigor of Hokusai’s images of Mount Fuji, would have appealed to a wide audience. Japanese art historian Melinda Takeuchi has commented about the artist, “Hiroshige, a man of minor samurai status, invests most of the panoramic scenes…with an emotional distance and a sense of proprie…