Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, known as "The Great Waterfall"

Utagawa Hiroshige

1857 · Woodblock print; ink and color on paper · National Diet Library, Tokyo

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, known as "The Great Waterfall"

Asakusa River, Miyato River, Great Riverbank

The Ayase River and Kanegafuchi

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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About this work

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858)
Year: 1857
Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Original size: approx. 36 × 24 cm (ōban)
Collection: National Diet Library, Tokyo (impression pid 1303223; many other impressions exist)
Movement: Ukiyo-e
Series: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

The Otonashi River spills over a wide weir in a white curtain of water, then winds toward us between green banks dotted with pink cherry trees, where small figures wade and swim. Teahouses with yellow roofs sit on the hill above the falls. The print is number nineteen in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, published by Uoya Eikichi, with a censor's seal of the second month of 1857. As its title says, the man-made dam at Ōji was popularly called the Great Waterfall, and the area was a favourite excursion for Edo townspeople. The river is printed in deep blue with fine lines for the current; impressions vary in colour and condition.

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

Bright river blue, spring green and cherry pink, for a bathroom, bedroom or child's room at 16×24 in natural wood. It pairs with Takinogawa in Ōji, another view of the same river.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Ukiyo-e painting
Era: 19th century (1857)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cornflower blue
Mood: calm
Rooms: bedroom, bathroom, kids room, 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 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway.

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

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, known as "The Great Waterfall" in the public domain?

Yes. Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by National Diet Library.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18 and 16×24 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, known as "The Great Waterfall" painted, and in what medium?

Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, known as "The Great Waterfall" dates from 1857 and was made in woodblock print; ink and color on paper; the original measures approx. 36 × 24 cm (ōban).

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 16×24 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 12×18 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, known as "The Great Waterfall" we'd choose 16×24.

About this design

Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, known as "The Great Waterfall" (Utagawa Hiroshige) — Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, known as "The Great Waterfall", One Hundred Famous Views of Edo · Utagawa Hiroshige · 1857. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

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