Utagawa Kunisada
Japan, 1786­1864
Viewing Maple Foliage
c. 1830
Woodblock print
37.5 x 25.5 cm
Clarence Buckingham Collection. 1925.332

This image shows people admiring maple trees in the fall, when their leaves have turned to gold. Do the leaves change color in the fall where you live? Do people make special trips to see the fall colors, as the Japanese people in this print are doing?

Scenic spots along famous travel routes were popular subjects in nineteenth-century Japan, and artists’ prints sold readily. Making the prints was a group enterprise involving publisher, artist, woodblock carver, and printer. A woodblock was made for each color. How many do you think were needed for this print?