Utagawa Hiroshige Prints

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) was a famous artist who lived during the Edo period in Japan and is especially known for his woodcut paintings in the ukiyo-e style. His landscape paintings reflected the natural beauties and daily life of Japan in his works.

Life of Utagawa Hiroshige

Hiroshige was born in Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1797. His parents were officials at a fire station in Edo, but after the death of his parents he turned to art education at a young age. He attended the Utagawa School, where he became a student of the master artist Utagawa Toyohiro.

Although he started his artistic career with historical scenes and actor portraits, he gained his main success with landscape paintings. He was especially known for his depictions of travel routes and the changing seasons.

His Art Style and Contributions to Ukiyo-e

Hiroshige’s art is based on the tradition of ukiyo-e, the Japanese woodcut technique. However, his style was different from other artists of the period:

By depicting the effects of nature and the seasons in a peaceful and romantic style, he distinguished himself from the artists of the period who painted dramatic and moving scenes.

Hiroshige’s Most Famous Artworks

Hiroshige’s best-known works are his travel series. Some of these include:

The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (1833-1834)

Famous series depicting 53 stops of the Tōkaidō Road.
It showed this route, one of Japan’s most important trade routes, in different weather conditions and seasons.

One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (1856-1858)

This series, depicting cityscapes of Edo (Tokyo), was Hiroshige’s last major project before his death.
It contains detailed scenes of Japanese culture and everyday life in Edo.

Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (1852)

A series depicting Japan’s sacred mountain, Mount Fuji, from different angles and in different seasons.
It is a response to Katsushika Hokusai‘s famous series of the same name.

Hiroshige’s Influence on Western Art

Hiroshige’s work transcended the borders of Japan and had a great influence on Western art.

Vincent van Gogh was inspired by Hiroshige’s prints and made his own interpretations.

Claude Monet and other Impressionists were influenced by his way of depicting light and nature.

The Art Nouveau movement developed patterns inspired by Hiroshige’s style.

His art not only introduced Japanese aesthetics to the world, but also contributed to the birth of the Japonism movement.

Utagawa Hiroshige Prints For Sale

You can buy our Utagawa Hiroshige poster prints with or without frames. Our frames are products that come ready to hang, made of wood designed in minimalist modern style. Our printing papers are selected to best reflect the nature of the work and are printed on paper using high-resolution images of the original works.

Our Utagawa Hiroshige canvas prints are preferred by those who love traditional texture. There are framed and wrapped options. Buy Now Bring the natural landscapes of unique Japanese art to your home.