Japanese Art Poster In the tradition of the great 19th-century ukiyo-e masters - Hiroshige's The Takino-gawa River at Ōji

"The Takino-gawa River at Ōji" (original title: 王子滝の川) is a woodblock print by the Japanese painter and illustrator Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) produced in April 1856.

This image perfectly captures the essence of autumn, highlighting the flamboyant red leaves of the maple trees. Unlike in spring, when cherry blossoms are the main attraction, in autumn, it is the maple trees that draw visitors, particularly in the Oji region, where many trees were planted by Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune in the early 1700s. The reddish-brown hue of these trees is rendered with tan pigments, derived from lead or iron oxide. The print features an aerial view with a high hill surrounded by the Shakujii-gawa River, also called Takino-gawa for its many waterfalls, one of which is shown on the right. At the bottom of the image, a small island with a pergola is frequented by bathers performing their ablutions. Nearby, a torii gate marks the entrance to a shrine dedicated to Benzaiten, goddess of waters, located in a cave and attached to the Matsubashi-Benten Shrine, whose roofs are visible in the upper right of the image, on the pine-lined hill. A bridge crosses the river from the Nakasendō, the road leading to Kyoto, where the Oji-Gongen Shrine and Kinrin-ji Temple are located. Beyond the bridge, a path leads to a few teahouses nestled among the trees.