常陸桜川より筑波山を臨む

About this print

This nishiki-e shows Mount Tsukuba as seen from near the Sakura River in Ibaraki Prefecture. It is one print from Nihon Meisho Zue (Famous Views of Japan), a series by the Meiji-era ukiyo-e artist Kobayashi Kiyochika, published by Matsuki Heikichi in 1896-1897 (Meiji 29-30). The prints were gathered into an album bound as a book.

The Sakura River flows through central Ibaraki into Lake Kasumigaura and has long been famous for its cherry blossoms. Ki no Tsurayuki wrote a poem about it in the Heian period, and in the Muromachi period Zeami set his Noh play Sakuragawa here. Kiyochika made his name with kosenga, "light-ray pictures" that make use of light and shadow.

The wild cherry trees lining places such as the approach to Isobe Inamura Shrine, in Isobe, Sakuragawa city, are called "the cherries of Sakuragawa." They are a National Place of Scenic Beauty, and in 1974 they were also designated a National Natural Monument. Many people still come to see the blossoms each spring.

Glossary