Spring Rain at Tsuchiyama, from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō

Spring Rain at Tsuchiyama, from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō

Utagawa Hiroshige

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tsuchiyama—a travelers' station on the road known as the Tōkaidō, in the mountains just before the road ends at Kyoto— is famous for its rain, and rain is central to this print's composition. The gentle melancholy of a spring shower is suggested by delicate, crisscrossing vertical lines that subdue a daimyō procession. Utagawa Hiroshige, one of Japan's foremost landscapists, designed two extremely popular series: Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō and One Hundred Famous Views of Edo.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Spring Rain at Tsuchiyama, from the series Fifty-three Stations of the TōkaidōSpring Rain at Tsuchiyama, from the series Fifty-three Stations of the TōkaidōSpring Rain at Tsuchiyama, from the series Fifty-three Stations of the TōkaidōSpring Rain at Tsuchiyama, from the series Fifty-three Stations of the TōkaidōSpring Rain at Tsuchiyama, from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.