Viewing Mount Daimonji from Nijō Bridge (Nijōbashi kara Daimonji o nozomu), from the series Famous Places of Kyoto (Kyōraku meisho), 1930

Color woodblock print

9 13/16 x 15 3/8 inches (24.9 x 39.1 cm)

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Bequest of
Warren H. and Mary I. Watanabe, 2001

2001-138-42

Nomura Yoshimitsu belonged to a circle of Shin hanga or “New Print” artists active in Kyoto.  Born into a family of Ukiyo-e artists, Yoshimitsu also studied European painting, and his prints are characterized by his adaptations of both sources. Here Yoshimitsu depicts the annual closing ceremony of the Obon festival, one of the most famous events in Kyoto, when five bonfires creating Chinese characters are lit to accompany the deceased to the afterlife. The modern city is represented here by the costumes of the festival-goers, the flavored ice-seller’s cart, and the electrical poles visible in the background of the print.

Drew Hasson