The moon over a waterfall 

Utagawa Hiroshige created this woodblock print depicting a moonlit waterfall in Japan during the Edo period. The print belongs to a tradition deeply intertwined with the social fabric and burgeoning urban culture of the time. These prints, known as "ukiyo-e," or "pictures of the floating world," were mass-produced, catering to a public newly empowered by economic growth. They often depicted scenes of everyday life, landscapes, and popular entertainment, reflecting the values and aspirations of a vibrant merchant class. Hiroshige’s landscape prints gained popularity as tourism increased among this demographic. "The Moon over a Waterfall" showcases this connection, offering a serene, idealized vision of nature accessible to a broad audience. This was a transformative period in Japanese history as, through woodblock prints, art moved out of the exclusive circles of the aristocracy, finding a new role in reflecting and shaping the culture of a changing society. Analyzing prints like this requires considering production techniques, distribution networks, and the socio-economic context in which artists like Hiroshige operated.