A Sudden Shower on the Great Bridge and Atake (Ōhashi Atake no yūdachi), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

No. 58 (summer section) on the title page for the series. In the creation of landscapes that lyrically portray the setting as well as the everyday lives of the local people, Hiroshige is unsurpassed. Most of his works depict contemporary Edo, where he was born, lived and worked. This print shows people caught in a sudden evening rain. A woman who looks like a geisha is seen hurrying over the new bridge. A lonely craftsman on the Sumida River is getting drenched. The houses on the opposite bank are almost lost in the gray blur of the rain. Depicted from above, they lend depth to the picture. It was a new departure in woodblock-print design to depict a bridge from the side, spanning a large area of the picture from left to right, and giving the impression that the whole picture was expanding. The rain is depicted as long streaks, bursting suddenly from the black clouds in an expression of strength. Hiroshige masterfully captured the beauty of nature in rain on a summer evening.