Japanese Art Poster In the tradition of the great 19th-century ukiyo-e masters - Hiroshige's "Five Pines" and Onagi Canal

"The "Five Pines" and the Onagi Canal" (original title: 小奈木川五本まつ) is a woodblock print by the Japanese painter and illustrator Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) produced in July 1856.

In keeping with the series' characteristic style, this print is arranged to highlight a foreground occupied by the branches of an ancient pine tree, supported by wooden beams through which the landscape in the background is revealed. The district of Gohonmatsu, literally "five pines," refers to an area of Edo where five ancient pine trees were planted along the Onagi-gawa canal in 1732. In Hiroshige's time, only one of these pine trees remained, and it is this one that is depicted in this print. The location of this pine tree is owned by the daimyo of Ayabe. Here, the artist takes some liberties with reality to create a more striking scenographic effect: although the canal is in reality perfectly straight, Hiroshige curves it to accentuate the dynamism of the composition. In the center of the image, a boat is sailing, with two oarsmen and a few passengers on board. This scene is reminiscent of a work by Katsushika Hokusai, "Sunset across the Ryōgoku Bridge" (plate 22 of Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji), where we find in precise detail the detail of a passenger dipping a handkerchief in the water.