Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, known as "The Great Waterfall"
1857 · Woodblock print; ink and color on paper · National Diet Library, Tokyo
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This print
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 full-bleed edition prints the work edge to edge from a high-resolution scan of the original, very slightly cropped (a few percent at most) to fit the sheet. The gallery edition shows the whole work, uncropped. 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. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or natural wood frame right to the image, or let the canvas wrap do the framing. Also available gallery-wrapped on canvas, ready to hang with no frame.
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 Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, known as "The Great Waterfall" in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Dam on the Otonashi River at Ōji, known as "The Great Waterfall" 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.
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
