HM005

True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo – Ueno Park Grounds (No. 45/130)

Original Artist:
Yasuji Inoue (also known as Yasuharu, 1864–1889)

Reproduction Artist:
Unknown

Type:
Reproduction – Hand-printed Woodblock Print
Technique: Kōsen-ga (Light and Shadow Pictures)

Period:
Showa Period (20th Century)

Size:

• Full Paper frame Size: 230 × 315 mm

• Image (Window Cut) Size: 90 × 150 mm

• Size print: 18cm W X 11.5cm L

Signature:
No reproduction artist signature

Condition:
Very good – no repairs or restoration

Featured Print: Ueno Park Grounds (No. 45/130)

This evocative spring scene from the True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo series captures Ueno Park during the Meiji period. The composition includes people dressed in Western clothing, horse-drawn carriages, and rickshaws moving beneath blooming cherry blossoms—an elegant portrayal of the intersection between tradition and modernization in Tokyo.

Inoue’s use of the Kōsen-ga technique, inherited from his mentor Kiyochika Kobayashi, brings together Western-style perspective and shading with the compositional harmony of classical ukiyo-e. The result is a serene, emotionally resonant image that beautifully reflects the atmosphere of everyday life in Meiji-era Japan.

About the Series: "True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo"

This celebrated series consists of over 130 woodblock prints that visually chronicle Tokyo’s transformation during the Meiji period. Areas such as Asakusa, Ueno, Ginza, and the Sumida River are featured in works that blend personal emotion with historical documentation. Each piece contributes to a richly textured portrait of a city in flux, where traditional life met rapid modernization.

About the Artist: Yasuji Inoue (1864–1889)

Born in Kawagoe, Saitama, Yasuji Inoue was the eldest son of a kimono fabric merchant. At 15, he began studying under Kiyochika Kobayashi, the pioneer of the Kōsen-ga technique. Inoue mastered and evolved this method, infusing his prints with realistic depictions of light, shadow, and perspective—often portraying quiet street corners, bridges, and everyday life.

Despite his early death at age 26 from beriberi, Inoue produced a body of work that is both artistically refined and historically valuable. His prints remain admired in Japan and abroad for their elegance, technical innovation, and emotional depth.