Artwork

二代歌川広重画『亜墨利加横浜本村本牧道』|American Woman Riding Side-Saddle on the Road at Honmoku, Motomura, Yokohama (America Yokohama Motomura Honmoku michi)

二代歌川広重画『亜墨利加横浜本村本牧道』|American Woman Riding Side-Saddle on the Road at Honmoku, Motomura, Yokohama (America Yokohama Motomura Honmoku michi) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Utagawa Hiroshige II. It dates from 2 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

The composition balances the figure, the animal, and a few onlookers, creating a serene snapshot of everyday life in a port town during the early Meiji period.

Utagawa Hiroshige II’s multicolored woodblock print, titled “American Woman Riding Side‑Saddle on the Road at Honmoku, Motomura, Yokohama,” portrays a lone rider on a white horse traveling along a quiet lane framed by blossoming cherry trees. The composition balances the figure, the animal, and a few onlookers, creating a serene snapshot of everyday life in a port town during the early Meiji period.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure is a Western woman dressed in a vivid blue garment, seated side‑saddle, a posture uncommon in Japanese equestrian art. Her presence reflects the brief window when Japan first opened its borders to foreign residents and travelers in the 1860s, offering a visual record of cultural encounter on a domestic road.

Technique & Style

Executed as a nishiki‑e (brocade‑type) woodblock, the print employs delicate ink lines and a restrained palette of soft blues, pinks, and earth tones. Hiroshige II’s handling of the horse’s barely touching hooves and the airy canopy of cherry blossoms conveys a sense of gentle motion without overcrowding the scene.

History & Provenance

Created in the early 1860s, the work belongs to a series documenting the environs of Yokohama, a treaty port that attracted many foreigners. The print has been held in several Japanese collections before entering the current museum’s holdings, where it serves as a rare example of Western figures in Hiroshige II’s oeuvre.

Context

Yokohama’s rapid development after the 1859 opening of its harbor introduced new fashions, technologies, and peoples to the region. This print captures that transitional moment, juxtaposing traditional Japanese rural life, villagers watching from the roadside, with the novelty of an American woman traveling on Japanese soil.