Reflections of the Moon in the Rice Fields of Sarashina in Shinshu

Catalog ID: 1889

Artist: Ando Hiroshige
Medium: Original Japanese Woodblock Print
Series Title: Landscape
Edition: Original
Date: c.1832
Publisher: Tsutaya Kichizō
Reference No.: Royal Academy of Arts, London
Size: 9 -3/4 x 14 -1/2 "
Condition: Fine

Notes:

Seal: 'Hiroshige ga'; Censor seal: 'Hiro'; Date: 1853, 5th month.

Since the Heian period Ubasuteyama at Sarashina has been a noted place for moon-viewing. Saigyo and Matsuo Basho visited Sarashina on their long journeys through Japan. The rice terrace (tanada), an ideal spot for the moon's reflection, was introduced during the Edo period.

The poem reads: 'The bright moon extending over the thousand-ri fields at Tagoto'.