106. The Fukagawa Lumberyards 1857

Utagawa Hiroshige designed this woodblock print depicting the Fukagawa lumberyards as part of his series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo." By the 19th century, the city of Edo, now Tokyo, was one of the largest in the world, and wood was essential for construction. Hiroshige captures the bustling commerce of Edo and the serene beauty of the natural world. The artist frames the composition with snow-laden lumber in the foreground, drawing our eye toward the workers traversing the icy canals. The print demonstrates the fusion of traditional Japanese aesthetics with the changing social landscape. The choice to depict such a commercial location reflects the rising merchant class and the increasing urbanization of Japanese society. To fully appreciate works like this one, historians consult a variety of sources, including period maps, trade records, and even literature, to reconstruct the world in which Hiroshige lived and worked. Art provides a window into the past, and understanding its context allows us to see it with new eyes.