Eight Views of Edo Suburbs: Fishing Boats Returning to Gyôtoku / Andô Hiroshige

Accession Number

1948/1.138

Title

Eight Views of Edo Suburbs: Fishing Boats Returning to Gyôtoku

Artist

Andô Hiroshige

Artist Nationality

Japanese

Artist Life Dates

1797-1858

Medium and Support

color woodblock print on paper

Object Creation Date

circa 1835-1842

Object Creation Place

Asia (continent)

Japan (nation)

Kanto (region)

Tokyo (metropolis)

Creation Place 1

Asia (continent)

Creation Place 2

Japan (nation)

Creation Place 3

Kanto (region)

Creation Place 4

Tokyo (metropolis)

Credit Line

Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker

Style/Group/Movement

ukiyo e

Inscription

Signed: Hiroshige ga

"Kiwame" seal (Perfect)

Period

Japan, Edo period (1615-1868)

Dimensions

22.4 cm x 35.1 cm (8 13/16 in. x 13 13/16 in.)

Century

19th century

Primary Object Classification

Print

Primary Object Type

color print

Secondary Object Classification

Print

Secondary Object Type

landscape

Physical Description

The pyramid shaped hills in the background of this print are those of the boiling houses and salt piles of Gyôtoku’s salt industry. A ferry boat, or watashi-bune, carries passengers in the foreground of this picture. In this print a shipman steers using the large rudder located in the back of the boat.

Subject Matter

Salt was an important commodity during the Edo period. It was used in a number of rituals and as a method of purification: to this day salt is used to purify the sumo ring before the beginning of a match. One of the most important uses of salt was in the preservation of food, in particular fish. In Edo the price of salt was high, as the long, flat, hard-packed beaches at Gyôtoku were one of the only places in the area suitable for harvesting this precious resource.

The pyramid shaped hills in the background of this print are those of the boiling houses and salt piles of Gyôtoku’s unique industry. Gyôtoku was also the final destination for many ferry boats that ran along the network of Edo canals. One such boat, or watashi-bune, carries passengers in the foreground of this picture. It was typical for two shipmen to pilot these ferries. In this print one steers using the large rudder located in the back of the boat. Long bamboo poles were also used to pilot watashi-bune through shallow waters.

Primary Keywords

edo, late

fishing

fishing vessels

sailboats

shores (landforms)

streams

ukiyo-e

woodblock prints

Secondary Keywords

relation to water

transfer method

asian

bodies of water

bodies of water and components of bodies of water

bodies of water by size

buildings and the land

early modern japanese periods

east asian

edo (japanese period)

hunting and commercial fishing vessels

japanese

japanese periods

japanese printmaking styles

japanese styles

landforms

landforms and landform components

landforms by position

landforms by shape or position

landscapes (environments)

natural landscapes

objects we use

people and culture

physical activities

physical activities by location

physical activities by specific context

prints

prints by process

prints by process or technique

relief prints

riverine bodies

settlements and landscapes

styles and periods

styles and periods by region

transportation vehicles

vehicles

visual works

visual works by medium or technique

water activities

watercraft

watercraft by function

watercraft by method of propulsion

watercraft by specific type

Rights

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Collection

University of Michigan Museum of Art

Image Size

1299 x 937

File Size

111 KB

Record

1948/1.138

Link to this Item

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1948-sl-1.138/1948_1.138.jpg content_copy

In public portfolios

alternative processes (43)

Food cultures (178)

Japan Pax Tokugawa 1600-1868 (500)

Prints and printmaking, a survey (50)

RC Arts 287: Printmaking Fall 2010 (16)

Work and workers (328)

Manifest

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1948-SL-1.138:1948_1.138.JPG content_copy