A Shoal of Fishes – Utagawa Hiroshige (1980)
This art book showcases a curated collection of Utagawa Hiroshige’s (1797–1858) exquisite kacho-e (bird-and-flower) woodblock prints, focusing on his mesmerizing depictions of aquatic life. Published in 1980, it highlights A Shoal of Fishes, a lesser-known but stunning work where Hiroshige captures the dynamic movement of fish with delicate gradations of ink and color. The fish, rendered in silvery blues and soft oranges, appear to glide through translucent waves, embodying the ukiyo-e tradition’s celebration of nature’s ephemeral beauty.
The book includes scholarly commentary on Hiroshige’s techniques, his influence from both Japanese tradition and Western naturalist art, and the print’s place within his broader oeuvre. A must-have for collectors of Japanese art, it preserves the quiet elegance of a master who saw the extraordinary in the everyday.
“A single ripple of life, frozen in wood and time—Hiroshige’s fish swim eternally.”
