“View of Mount Tenpō in Osaka” (Naniwa Tempōzan fukei)

“View of Mount Tenpō in Osaka” (Naniwa Tempōzan fukei)

Hasegawa Sadamasu 長谷川貞升

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This panoramic landscape view, spread over four prints, captures the appearance of Mount Tenpō, a human-made range of hills created as part of a river dredging and flood prevention project around Osaka Harbor. It is named after the Tenpō era, when it was created, and it was intended to replicate the appearance of the arched tortoise-shell shape of Mount Hōrai of East Asian lore, home to Daoist immortals. After a lighthouse was erected and trees were planted, officials invited performers to visit, in order to attract crowds of people who would help tamp down the loose soil. In this idealized rendering, famous Osaka actors of the day are shown arriving with members of their fan clubs, and enjoying refreshments in wayside stands.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

“View of Mount Tenpō in Osaka” (Naniwa Tempōzan fukei)“View of Mount Tenpō in Osaka” (Naniwa Tempōzan fukei)“View of Mount Tenpō in Osaka” (Naniwa Tempōzan fukei)“View of Mount Tenpō in Osaka” (Naniwa Tempōzan fukei)“View of Mount Tenpō in Osaka” (Naniwa Tempōzan fukei)

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.