Plum Orchard, 1943

Color woodblock print

9 15/16 x 12 1/16 inches (25.2 x 30.6 cm)

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of
Theodore T. Newbold, 1959  

1959-16-2

This print illustrates Yoshino Baigō, a plum-viewing site located in Ome city on the Tamagawa River on the outskirts of greater metropolitan Tokyo. Home to one of the largest annual plum blossom festivals in the country, Yoshino Baigō is a major sightseeing destination. Maekawa Senpan, a Sōsaku hanga artist, was fond of representing traditional and folk scenes. This print is among many images he made that replicated long-appreciated customs in a time of ongoing modernization.

Petya Andreeva