Six Jewel Rivers from Various Provinces

Utagawa Hiroshige

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Each of the prints in this set includes a poem associated with one of the six rivers in various parts of Japan that are named Tamagawa, or Jewel River. The theme of six beautiful rivers enjoyed great popularity in the nineteenth century, especially among ukiyo-e printmakers; earlier in his career, Hiroshige created a series on the theme in various formats. Remarkably, the groupings and postures of the figures in each of the prints nearly exactly echoes those found in a set of handscrolls by Sakai Ōho (1808– 1841), also in the Burke Collection.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art