Towboats Along the Yotsugi-dōri Canal
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 1303237; many other impressions exist)
- Movement
- Ukiyo-e
- Series
- One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
A narrow canal sweeps toward us in a long S-curve between bright yellow towpaths, and on the banks men lean into ropes to pull boats upstream. The flat fields on either side are dotted with pines, and a blue mountain stands on the horizon above a band of red. The print is number thirty-three in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, published by Uoya Eikichi, with a censor's seal of the second month of 1857. The Yotsugi-dōri canal was an irrigation channel east of Edo, and passengers were hauled along it in small boats. The curving channel gives the design a deep recession from foreground to horizon; 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
A sweep of yellow and blue through soft green fields, for a hallway, office or narrow wall at 16×24 in natural wood. It pairs with The Yanagishima for two quiet waterways.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Ukiyo-e painting
- Era
- 19th century (1857)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cornflower blue
- Mood
- calm
- Rooms
- 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 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 Towboats Along the Yotsugi-dōri Canal in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Towboats Along the Yotsugi-dōri Canal 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.
