Woodblock print · Utagawa Hiroshige · 1857
Hiroshige, Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake
Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake (Ōhashi Atake no yūdachi) is a colour woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige, published in 1857 as part of his series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Hiroshige died in 1858, and the print is in the public domain.
History
One Hundred Famous Views of Edo was Hiroshige's last great series, issued by the publisher Sakanaya Eikichi between 1856 and 1858 and running, in the end, to 119 prints. Shin-Ōhashi (the New Great Bridge) crossed the Sumida River; Atake was the district on the far bank. The vertical format, the bold cropping and the rain cut into the block as fine diagonal lines were all unusual for their time.
The print became famous in the West when Vincent van Gogh copied it in oils in 1887 (Bridge in the Rain, now in the Van Gogh Museum). Complete sets of the series are held by the Brooklyn Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, whose scans are published under an open licence.
What the print shows
Pedestrians caught by a summer downpour hurrying across the wooden bridge under umbrellas and straw capes, a lone boatman poling a raft on the river below, and the far shore reduced to a grey silhouette. The rain is printed as two sets of crossing lines, and the sky grades from near-black at the top to light at the horizon, a bokashi gradient done by hand on the block.
Source and licence
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Open Access).
Licence: Public domain. Hiroshige died in 1858; museum impressions of this print are released under Creative Commons Zero (CC0), so the design may be reproduced freely.
Also a digital download and in the Vintage Masterpieces and Japanese Woodblock sets.
Available sizes and prices
Print: paper or framed Etsy listing 4548682837
| Size | Paper | Framed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 × 12 in (21 × 30 cm) | $29.99 | $98.99 |
| 12 × 18 in (30 × 45 cm) | $44.99 | $137.99 |
| 16 × 24 in (40 × 60 cm) | $54.99 | $195.99 |
Digital download Etsy listing 4557521323
$5.99: 300 DPI files on your Etsy downloads page the moment payment clears; nothing is shipped.
Printed to order, shipped in 2–5 business days, free US shipping. Paper: matte fine-art paper. Framed: real wood (black, white, wood, dark wood), shatterproof acrylic, ready to hang.
Buy
- Utagawa Hiroshige Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge 1857 (print: paper or framed): buy on Etsy, from $29.99.
- Utagawa Hiroshige Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge 1857 (digital download): buy on Etsy, $5.99.
- Also in the Vintage Masterpieces Set of 8 download set, $17.99.
- Also in the Japanese Woodblock Print Set download set, $22.99.
Frequently asked questions
- Who made Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge?
- Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), the Japanese ukiyo-e artist, designed it in 1857 for One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Edo is the old name of Tokyo.
- Did Van Gogh copy this print?
- Yes. In 1887 Van Gogh painted a close copy in oils, Bridge in the Rain, adding a border of Japanese characters. It hangs in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.
- What is the shape of the print?
- Vertical, in the ōban format of about 36 by 24 cm; the reproduction keeps those proportions.
- Is the Hiroshige print copyright-free?
- Yes. The design is public domain and the museum scan it is reproduced from is CC0.
Sources
Published 20 Oct 2026; prices are the live Etsy prices as of 20 Oct 2026. The work is public domain; this page's text is © ThinkDotCo and may be quoted with a link.