ALLEN MEMORIAL ART MUSEUM 57 Right: UtagawaHiroshige I 初代目歌川広重 (Japanese, 1797–1858) EveningSnowat AsukaHill, fromthe series Eight Views of the Environs of Edo, ca. 1837–38 Color woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper MaryA. AinsworthBequest, 1950.1035 Asuka Hill was a meisho 名所 (renowned place) associated with cherry blossoms and breathtaking views of Mt Fuji in the springtime. Here, Hiroshige employs the eight views theme of evening snow to portray a very different experience: travelers trudge through heavy snowfall. The print shows heavily clothed figures with umbrellas following a circular path around the hill, where snow-covered cherry trees and wooden signboards fade into the white landscape. So beloved is Asuka Hill that it became the first natural area to be designated as a public park by the Japanese government in 1873. In the upper right sits a large stone, surrounded by a low fence that designates it as sacred, perhaps one of the ancient burial mounds at Asuka Hill. Below, a snow-covered horse being led by its owner reminds us of Edo’s sustainable transportation practices—wheeled vehicles were banned in cities to preserve the roads. Through these elements, Hiroshige’s print can suggest connections between environmental sustainability and cultural and spiritual reverence for nature, even in winter’s harshest moments.
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