ALLEN MEMORIAL ART MUSEUM 53 Utagawa Toyokuni II 二代目歌川豊国 (Japanese, ca. 1777–1835) Night Rain at Ōyama , fromthe series Eight Views of Famous Places, 1830s Color woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper MaryA. AinsworthBequest, 1950.507 This print depicts Mount Ōyama, a sacred site in Kanagawa Prefecture housing both Shinto and Buddhist shrines, including the Ōyama Afuri Shrine dedicated to the rain deity. This site made the Eight Views theme of Night Rain particularly appropriate. Along with rain’s importance to agriculture, it also was connected to Shinto beliefs about rain’s cleansing properties, spiritual renewal and purification. The artwork features diagonal rain lines creating dynamic movement across the scene. Dark blues, greens, and browns convey nightfall, while another sacredmountain (Mount Fuji) looms in the misty background. Look closely— small figures with umbrellas climb the mountain’s stairs, emphasizing the site’s importance as a pilgrimage destination for rain prayers during the Edo period. Night Rain at Ōyama (detail)
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