Naruto Whirlpools, Awa Province
1855 · Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and colour on paper · Impressions in many collections; this one from the National Library of New Zealand, Wellington
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This print
About this work
- Artist
- Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858)
- Year
- 1855
- Medium
- Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and colour on paper
- Original size
- approx. 35.6 × 24.4 cm (ōban)
- Collection
- Impressions in many collections; this one from the National Library of New Zealand, Wellington
- Movement
- Ukiyo-e
- Series
- Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces
Whirlpools spin in the strait at Naruto, where the tide races between Awa province on Shikoku and Awaji island, drawn as rings of white foam on deep blue water with rocks and a far shore under a pale sky. Hiroshige published the design in 1855 as part of Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces, a series of sixty-nine vertical prints covering the whole of Japan, issued by Koshimuraya Heisuke between 1853 and 1856. Unlike his earlier road series, these views were largely composed from guidebooks and other artists' sketches rather than from travel. The Naruto whirlpools were a celebrated natural wonder, and Hiroshige returned to them in a famous triptych of 1857. Impressions are held in collections worldwide.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Deep blue whirlpools under a pale sky give a bathroom, hallway or home office a cool, moving focal point. 16×24 in natural wood on a white wall; it sits well in a run with the two Hokusai waterfalls at the same size.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Ukiyo-e painting
- Era
- 19th century (1855)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cornflower blue
- Mood
- dramatic, moody
- Rooms
- bathroom, hallway or entryway, home office, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, travelers, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — natural wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Naruto Whirlpools, Awa Province in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Naruto Whirlpools, Awa Province painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
The full-bleed edition
The painting printed edge to edge, filling the whole sheet (very slightly cropped to fit) — and available on gallery-wrapped canvas.
