
Red Maple Trees at the Tsuten Bridge (Tsutenkyo no momiji), from the series "Famous Places in Kyoto (Kyoto meisho no uchi)"
- Date:
- c. 1834
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; oban
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Typical Price
$1,500–$300,000+. Later impressions of common stations: $1,500–$5,000. Key value factors: Hiroshige's Tokaido and Edo series prints vary enormously by impression quality. First editions with original colors far exceed later printings.
Description
"Red Maple Trees at the Tsuten Bridge" is a ukiyo-e landscape print by Utagawa Hiroshige, created during the late Edo period. This atmospheric composition captures a specific place and moment with the poetic sensibility that characterizes the finest Japanese landscape prints.
The autumn scene captures the fleeting beauty of the Japanese maple in full color — a subject deeply embedded in the aesthetic tradition of mono no aware, the poignant awareness of transience. Utagawa Hiroshige's palette of warm reds, golds, and oranges against cooler backgrounds creates visual depth and seasonal atmosphere.
This print is part of the series "Famous Places in Kyoto (Kyoto meisho no uchi)," which stands as one of Utagawa Hiroshige's significant achievements in documenting Japan's landscapes. The series format allowed the artist to explore variations of light, weather, and season across different locations.
This print represents Utagawa Hiroshige's contribution to the ukiyo-e tradition during the late Edo period. As with all works by this artist, it reflects both individual artistic vision and the broader cultural moment in which it was created. For collectors and admirers of Japanese printmaking, it offers a window into the sophisticated aesthetic world that produced some of the most beloved images in art history.
More Prints by Utagawa Hiroshige

Badger, from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, harimaze

Seikenji Fuji, from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)"
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, harimaze

Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet

Narumi: Shop wth Famous Arimatsu Tie-dyed Cloth (Narumi, meisan Arimatsu shibori mise), from the series "Famous Sights of Fifty-three Stations (Gojusab tsugi meisho zue)"
1855
Color woodblock print



