Low Tide at Shibaura from the series Famous Places of the Eastern Capital

Print-maker Utagawa Hiroshige began his career printing book illustrations, depictions of warrior and Kabuki actors, and beautiful women. These were common subjects for ukiyo-e artists, though in 1830 Hiroshige pivoted to printing landscapes and scenes focused on nature. Among Hiroshige’s earliest landscape series was Famous Places of the Eastern Capitol, which catapulted him to success with this new subject.

One of the prints from this series is Low Tide at Shibaura. The vivid colors of this print highlight the beauty of the natural world. The foreground features man made elements in a muted color palette - the rooflines and ships are not as deeply saturated in comparison to the sky and sea, maintaining Hiroshige’s focus on the natural world as inspired by Hokusai.