Accession Number
1991/2.111

Title
Evening Scene in Tokyo: Strolling Musicians

Artist(s)
Takahashi Hiroaki

Object Creation Date
1900-1921

Medium & Support
color woodblock print on paper

Dimensions
14 3/4 in. x 6 3/4 in. ( 37.4 cm x 17.2 cm )

Credit Line
Gift of Millard Pryor in Memory of Mary S. Pryor

Label copy
Kawase Hasui and Takahashi Hiroaki both worked in concert with the prolific twentieth century publisher of woodblock prints Watanabe Shôzaburô (1885-1962). Their poetic and often times nostalgic landscape prints, very much following Edo period print master Andô Hiroshige’s foot prints (whose works are also shown in the gallery), have been highly sought after by collectors in Europe and North America.
Kawase Hasui was especially known for his skillful depiction of landscapes and night scenes. His passion for landscapes led him to travel extensively throughout Japan, keeping a sensitive eye on his surroundings and sketching scenes from his journeys. His close attention to atmospheric conditions and light brought him much success and one year before his death Kawase was awarded the great honor of Living Cultural Treasure for his 1956 print “Snow at Zôjôji Temple.”
Takahashi was trained in Japanese style painting (Nihonga), and dedicated much of his time to creating paintings for exhibitions as well as illustrations for scientific publications. While Kawase’s prints focus on notable places and landscapes, Takahashi’s work attempts to capture the essence of Japanese culture and everyday life.
(Japanese Gallery Rotation, Spring 2010)
(6/28/10)
*Gallery Rotation Winter 2011 (January 2011)
Takahashi Hiroaki
Japan, 1871–1944
Strolling Musicians, from the series Evening Scene in Tokyo
1900–21
Meiji Period (1868–1912) to Taisho Period (1912–26)
Color woodblock print on paper
Gift of Millard Pryor in Memory of Mary S. Pryor, 1991/2.111

Subject matter
Takahashi Hiroaki worked with the prolific twentieth century publisher of woodblock prints Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962). Takahashi was trained in Nihonga, or Japanese painting, and dedicated much of his time to paintings for exhibitions and illustrations for scientific publications. His nostalgic “Old Japan” imagery was highly sought after by collectors in Europe and North America. Takahashi’s work attempts to capture the essence of cultural events and everyday life.

Physical Description
A man and a woman amble down the street under a crescent moon. The woman plays a stringed instrument, and a woman on a balcony above leans out to listen. Two small dogs in the street appear to howl up at the moon, perhaps joining in the chorus.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Primary Object Type
color print

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
dogs (devices for wood)
kimonos
moons
musicians
night
walking