“Evening Shower at Nihonbashi Bridge” is from the series “Celebrated Places in the Eastern Capital” by Hiroshige Utagawa (1797-1858), which was published by Kikakudo, ca. 1834-1835. It is one of the most impressive prints of the series. A sprinkling of rain falls on Nihonbashi, which is Edo's most famous bridge. In the distance, Edo castle and Mt. Fuji can be seen.
Hiroshige was born in Edo (current Tokyo), and studied the art of the woodblock print (Ukiyo-e) under Toyohiro Utagawa. Now, he is famous as the last great master of Japanese traditional Ukiyo-e. Hiroshige's landscape prints influenced painters all over the world, including Cezanne and Gauguin.
(Explanation: Shigenori MARUYAMA; Cover: reproduced by The Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints)
