Autumn at Asakusa; Viewing Cherry blossoms at Ueno Park

Object Details

• Artist

  Hishikawa Moronobu 菱川師宣 (1618-1694)

• Label

  In March 1657 a fire destroyed much of the city of Edo (Tokyo). More than one hundred thousand people perished in the blaze or in the snowstorm that immediately followed. Fashions distinctive to the late seventeenth century are clearly evident among the nearly four hundred figures populating the expanse of this painting. Thus, these screens, painted in the artist's final years, should be understood as Moronobu's celebration of the seasonal pleasures of a resurrected and vital metropolis.

  The right-hand screen depicts autumn activities. In the foreground is Kannonji Temple and the surrounding environment of Asakusa. In the upper left, above this scene, boats traverse the Sumida River to the opposite bank, where the pleasure houses of Mukojima await visitors. The left-hand screen shows throngs enjoying the cherry blossoms in the Ueno area. The Kaneiji Temple is at the far left, and Shinobazu Pond is in the foreground.

  Hishikawa Moronobu, born into a family of textile designers, is regarded by some as a progenitor of the ukiyo-e style (art depicting contemporary life and pleasures) that flourished during the Edo period (1615-1868). He consolidated disparate genre painting styles into a canon that influenced several generations of artists.

• Provenance

  To 1906

  Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), Boston, to 1906 [1]

  From 1906 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunkio Matsuki in 1906 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Undated folder sheet note. See Original Screen List, L. 118, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Hokusai: Mad About Painting (November 20, 2019 to January 9, 2022)

  Seasons: Japanese Screens (July 9, 2011 to January 22, 2012)

  Surveying the Collections: Poets and Parties (July 2, 2000 to February 4, 2001)

  Japanese Screens (May 9, 1993 to November 13, 1995)

  Autumn Colors (October 19 to December 20, 1984)

  Japanese Screens (February 11, 1983 to July 19, 1988)

  Japanese Lacquer (April 16, 1979 to October 8, 1980)

  Japanese Art (July 1, 1974 to April 10, 1978)

  Japanese Ukiyo-e Painting (May 2, 1973 to July 1, 1974)

  Japanese Art—Painted Screens (August 18, 1967 to May 2, 1973)

  Japanese Art, Galleries 3, 4, and 5 (January 1, 1963 to September 16, 1970)

  Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Screens, 1957 (March 20, 1957 to March 30, 1960)

  Centennial Exhibition, Gallery 5 (February 25, 1956 to March 15, 1957)

  Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Screens (October 3, 1947 to November 10, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Screens and Scrolls, 1946 (April 30, 1946 to October 3, 1947)

  Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Screens and Scrolls (April 5, 1933 to December 8, 1941)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Bunkio Matsuki 松木文恭 (1867-1940) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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• Date

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• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Matsuki, Bunkio

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Autumn, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Ukiyo-e

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings