Minakuchi: The Famous Pine Trees at the foot of Mount Hiramatsu

Title: Minakuchi: The Famous Pine Trees at the foot of Mount Hiramatsu
Creator:  Utagawa Hiroshige
Period: Edo
Date: 1855
Culture: Japan
Series: The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road
Style: Ukiyo-e
Medium: woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: 34 x 22 cm
Repository: Wetmore Print Collection, Art History Dept., Cummings Arts Center, Connecticut College, New London
Credit line: Gift of Prof. Caroline Black, Botany Dept., Connecticut College
ID number: slide# 0062; black079

Additional Notes: This print depicts a rural scene with people carrying wheat or straw along a river with trees and homes in the background. These pit dwelling homes (tateana-shiki) were very common for the time, as they were easy to build and could be rapidly constructed or deconstructed. These homes were often centered around a hearth and have been used throughout history in Japan.

References

Hiroshige, Japanese. Minakuchi: The Famous Pine Trees at the foot of Mount Hiramatsu. color woodcut. Place: Wetmore Print Collection, Art History Dept, Cummings Arts Center, Connecticut College, New London, Donated by Prof. Caroline Black, Botany Dept, Connecticut College. https://library.artstor.org/asset/CONNASIAN_106310758469 (access to Artstor required).

“Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.” Minakuchi: Famous Pine Trees at the Foot of Mt. Hiramatsu , collections.mfa.org/objects/190604.

“Japanese Architecture – Buildings & Houses from Japan.” Architecture & Design, www.architectureanddesign.com.au/features/list/japanese-architecture-and-buildings#:~:text=%E2%80%9CTraditional%20Japanese%20architecture%E2%80%9D%20typically%20refers,much%20simpler%20than%20its%20European.