Artwork

Night Rain on the Karasaki Pine from the series Eight Views of Ōmi

Night Rain on the Karasaki Pine from the series Eight Views of Ōmi is a print by the Romanticist artist Unknown. It dates from 1774 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 1916.942
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. Henry S. Upson

About this work

Artists in the Edo period often made series like this, showing famous places in different weather or seasons.

A single pine tree bends under heavy rain at night. The dark trunk glows faintly against a stormy sky, while raindrops blur the branches. A small boat drifts on the lake below.

This print is one of eight scenes from Ōmi, a region in Japan. Artists in the Edo period often made series like this, showing famous places in different weather or seasons. The rain here isn’t just weather, it’s a mood, quiet and a little lonely.

If you like this, look up subject: japan, edo period (1615–1868) for more prints like it.

Overview

This print, Night Rain on the Karasaki Pine, is part of a series called Eight Views of Ōmi, depicting scenic views of the Ōmi region in various conditions.

Subject & Meaning

The scene features a solitary pine tree bent under the weight of rain at night, accompanied by a small drifting boat on a lake. The rain evokes a somber, isolated atmosphere, characteristic of the series' portrayal of famous sites in different weather and seasonal conditions.

Technique & Style

The artist captures the stormy night through the contrast of the dark, glowing tree trunk against the turbulent sky and the blurred branches due to raindrops, showcasing a typical Edo period style of landscape representation.

Context

The print is representative of a common Edo period artistic practice: creating series that highlighted notable locations under varying environmental conditions, thus capturing the diverse moods and aspects of these places.