Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川 広重 (1797-1858), Asakusa Rice Fields and Torinomachi Festival (Asakusa tanbo Torinomachi mode), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei), 1857, color woodblock print; oban 14 1/4 × 9 1/2 in., (36 × 24.1 cm)

Mark your diaries for One Hundred Famous Views of Edo at the Art Institute of Chicago, featuring a selection of Hiroshige’s most celebrated prints that capture the poetic beauty of everyday life in Edo (modern Tokyo) and reveal why his vision continues to inspire artists worldwide. While planning your visit, don’t miss The Dawn of Modernity: Japanese Prints, 1850–1900, closing soon—a striking exploration of Japan’s rapid 19th-century transformation, with dynamic prints depicting steam trains, bustling streets, and Western-inspired architecture as the nation embraced modernization.

One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
October 15, 2025 – January 5, 2026

Ukiyo-e, meaning “pictures of the floating world,” was a genre of woodblock print popular from the 17th through 19th century that depicted scenes of everyday life across Japan. Hiroshige’s designs are among the most widely circulated of any premodern print artist, and because of his prints’ popularity, editions ran into the thousands.

His most well-known series, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, was completed just before his death. Hiroshige had lived his entire life in Edo (present-day Tokyo), and the series offers a great variety of scenes from many locations in and around his home city. Mount Fuji features prominently, as do the waterways and canals that cut through Edo at the time.

The series’ extreme commercial success resulted in Hiroshige creating more than the 100 views of its title over a period of two-plus years. Both during and after his lifetime, many editions of the series were produced as well, with clear differences apparent among them. For example, the earliest deluxe edition usually has multicolored title cartouches, many of which are on view in this exhibition.

This selection of about 35 prints from Hiroshige’s renowned series showcases his captivating style and demonstrates why artists within and outside Japan from the 19th century through today have been inspired by his work.

To learn more, click here.

Ochiai Yoshiiku, Picture of Men and Women from Many Countries (Bankoku danjo jinbutsu zue),1861, color woodblock print; oban triptych, 36.6 × 72.5 cm (14 7/16 × 28 9/16 in.), Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne

The Dawn of Modernity: Japanese Prints, 1850–1900
Closing Monday, October 13, 2025

After almost 250 years of near-total isolation, Japan opened to international trade in 1859, following the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry and his steam-powered fleet in 1853. Foreign ideas and technologies quickly poured in, transforming cities like Yokohama into hubs of global exchange. Japanese printmakers documented these watershed events—often in panoramic triptychs influenced by photography and Western illustrations—depicting steam trains, modern architecture, and bustling streets while promoting the image of a modern nation in ascent. With the fall of the shogunate in 1868 and the start of the Meiji era, Japan embraced rapid modernization under the ideals of “civilization and enlightenment.” The prints in this gallery reflect Japan’s attempts to define itself between Eastern and Western influences and to become Asia’s modern empire.

To learn more, click here.