Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge — Hiroshige Framed Print

The story of this print

Vincent van Gogh copied this print in oils in 1887, and it is easy to see why: nobody before Hiroshige had drawn rain as rain. The shower falls across the whole sheet in two systems of fine slanting lines, cut into the key block at different angles so the storm seems to gust; the wooden bridge, Shin-Ōhashi, crosses the Sumida from edge to edge, and on it a handful of figures hurry under umbrellas and a straw raincoat. A boatman poles a raft below. The far bank, the district of Atake, dissolves into grey.

The sheet belongs to One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, the series Hiroshige made in the last two years of his life, and it is the most famous vertical print in Japanese art. The Library of Congress impression is early, with the graded ink at the top of the sheet — a technique called bokashi, done by hand on the block for every impression — still dark and even. Restored from the archive’s scan without redrawing; the vertical oban fits our 12×18, 16×24, 20×30 and 24×36 sizes exactly.

Printed to order on archival matte paper or canvas, framed in the country of delivery.

Before and after

Left: the archive scan exactly as published. Right: the file that goes to the printer.

Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge, 1857: archive scan compared with the restored print

Archive scanRestored

Restoration notes

Restoration: trimmed the mount and scanner margins, balanced levels while keeping the paper tone and the flat colour blocks of the woodblock impression (85% of the original colour retained), removed dust and specks, applied gentle sharpening. Toning, wormholes, the printer's registration and the collector's seals are kept where they belong to the object; nothing is redrawn.

Every print carries its archive credit on the packing slip. Paper tone and small imperfections of the original are kept on purpose; nothing is redrawn.

Questions

What does the print show?

The long wooden span of Shin-Ōhashi over the Sumida River in a downpour: figures hurry across under umbrellas and a straw cape, a boatman poles beneath, the far bank of Atake is a grey smudge, and the rain is cut as hundreds of fine slanting lines across the whole sheet.

Is this an original woodblock print?

No. It is a new archival print made from the Library of Congress's high-resolution scan of an original Edo-period impression in its Japanese prints collection. Original impressions of these designs sell at auction for thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars; we never sell originals, and the archive record with its rights statement is on this page.

Can this print be sold legally?

Yes. The artist died in the nineteenth century and the impression was published long before 1930, so the design is in the public domain in the United States, Japan and Europe. The Library of Congress states there are no known restrictions on publication.

Does it come framed?

Yes, if you choose a framed option: a black, white or natural oak wood frame, ready to hang, made in the country of delivery. Unframed archival matte paper and stretched canvas are also available. Sizes follow the print's own proportions — 12×18, 16×24, 20×30 and 24×36 for a standard oban sheet.

Colours vary between screens and paper. The tone you see here is a close match to the archival matte print; framed prints have no glass glare in these previews.

Pairs well with

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print

Plum Garden at Kameido, 1843

Utagawa Hiroshige · Library of Congress

$119 24×16 in framed · paper from $39

Shono Driving Rain, 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige · Library of Congress

$129 24×18 in framed · paper from $35

The discount is applied automatically at checkout when two or more framed prints are in the cart.

Size	Metric	Best for
12×18 in	30×46 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
16×24 in	41×61 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
20×30 in	51×76 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
24×36 in	61×91 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office

Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake, 1857

Before and after

Restoration notes

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print