Eight Views of Ōmi

The autumn moon at Ishiyama
Artist Hiroshige

The Eight Views of Ōmi (in Japanese: 近江八景 or Ōmi hakkei) are traditional scenic views of Ōmi Province which is now Shiga Prefecture in Japan.

They were inspired by the Eight Views of Xiaoxiang in China which were first painted in the 11th century and then brought to Japan as a popular theme in the 14–15th centuries. The theme was then used to describe Ōmi province in poetry by Prince Konoe Masaie and his son, Prince Hisamichi, in the 15–16th centuries. The Eight Views of Ōmi then became a popular subject for artists such as Suzuki Harunobu and Utagawa Hiroshige. The theme continued to develop, being transposed to other locations and settings in a process which the Japanese called mitate.[1]

The sights were depicted by Hiroshige in several different series of ukiyo-e pictures, as well as other artists.[2][3]

They are sometimes erroneously called "Eight Views of Lake Biwa", but the latter were defined to include different locations in 1949 by the government of Shiga Prefecture.[2]

The Eight Views

All views are situated at the southern end of the lake. There is no fixed order. The following list circles the lake, beginning on the east side.

Other Eight views

Hiroshige alone produced nearly 20 different series "Omi hakkei". Other artists followed. To please everybody, "Eight views of" were created for many parts of Japan, e.g. using surroundings of Edo. A series called "Eight views of Kanazawa"[4] reflects a bay near Yokohama.

Ukiyoe pictures by Hiroshige

Hiroshige drew the following ukiyo-e pictures:

References

  1. Hockley, Allen (2003), "Hakkei Series: A Case Study", The Prints of Isoda Koryūsai: Floating World Culture and Its Consumers in Eighteenth-century Japan, University of Washington Press, p. 55, ISBN 9780295983011
  2. 1 2 美しい滋賀県 [The Beauty of Shiga Prefecture] (in Japanese). Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan: Shiga Prefecture. 2012. Retrieved Nov 13, 2012.
  3. "Ōmi Hakkei". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
  4. Not to be mixed up with the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref.

See also

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