UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)

A full autumn moon shines through a maple branch, as leaves fall down into a cascading waterfall.

The Chinese poem by Hakurakuten (722-846) from the anthology Wakan roeishu, has been translated by Matthi Forrer and Peter Mason in Hiroshige: Prints and Drawings (London, 1997):

It is not so sad that maple leaves fall,
scattered on the moss-covered ground—
it is only sad when the wind gets chilly and rough,
and rain clouds darken the sky.

The title indicates that this series was to comprise twenty-eight designs, however only two are known. The other design from the series depicts a rope bridge spanning a deep gorge, with a crescent moon and waterfall.

A similar impression to the present lot is in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession no. P.70.145, go to:
https://collections.artsmia.org/art/57825/moon-seen-through-leaves-utagawa-hiroshige

For an example of the other design known of this series in the collection the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET), accession no. JP2836, go to:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/60028247