'The Plum Garden in Kameido' by Utagawa Hiroshige, 1857. Part of the series 'One Hundred Famous Views of Edo'. This image is also available on:
This print shows the famous 'Sleeping Dragon' plum tree, in full bloom. In the mid-19th century Kameido was still on the eastern outskirts of Edo (Tokyo) and largely farmland, but because of this plum orchard it became a popular attraction for the city-dwellers. The 'Sleeping Dragon' plum tree got its name from the way some of its branches ran along the ground, arching like the coils of a dragon (dragons being an important symbol of good fortune in East Asian culture). It's branches weren't its only distinctive feature, as it's blossoms were said (possibly with some poetic licence) to be so white that they could banish night itself. The original tree died in the 1790s, but because new trunks sprang from its branches it continued growing strong throughout the 19th century, until at one point there were many daughter trees and several hundred others in the orchard, and a teahouse had been built to serve the growing crowds coming from Edo. Sadly, the 'Sleeping Dragon' was killed by a heavy flood in 1910, and the growing city of Tokyo continued to encroach on Kameido until it became one of the most heavily industrialized areas. Although the orchard is gone, a stone pillar and an information board now mark the approximate place where the Sleeping Dragon stood; next to them, a newly-planted plum tree.
This print is interesting not just for immortalizing a beautiful part of Tokyo's history, but for its important influence in European art. After Japan opened up to foreigners in the 1860s, many ukiyo-e prints were exported to Europe, and Hiroshige's were among the most popular. The compositional techniques heavily influenced the Impressionists and the Post-Impressionists. 'The Plum Garden in Kameido', with the striking lines of the trunk and branches dominating the foreground almost like calligraphy strokes, was so significant that Van Gogh produced his own copy in oils, replicating the composition exactly but choosing more vibrant and daring colors, practising techniques he could later apply to his original paintings. Although Van Gogh's work would go on to influence a wide swathe of European art, he went almost unrecognized in his lifetime - appropriately, perhaps, in Japanese the metaphorical meaning of 'Sleeping Dragon' is 'unrecognized genius'.
Product Details:
Tote bag printed on one side with three color options.
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Size: 15" x 16.5" (38cm x 42cm)
Capacity: 21 pints (10 liters)
Available Colors: Natural, Black, White
Average Delivery Time: 4 - 6 working days
- Reinforced stitching on handles
- One-sided print
- 100% cotton
Care instructions
| Wash | Machine, warm, inside out, like colors |
| Tumble Dry | Low |
| Bleach | Only non-chlorine |
| Dry clean | Do not dry clean |
| Iron | Do not iron |