西洋風の懐中時計『春雨集』 摺物帖|Western Pocket WatchFrom the Spring Rain Collection (Harusame shū), vol. 3

This intriguing woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige, titled 'Western Pocket Watch from the Spring Rain Collection (Harusame shū), vol. 3,' offers a fascinating glimpse into early 19th-century Japan. Created in 1823, it predates Hiroshige's most famous landscape series, such as 'The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō,' for which he is renowned. At this time, Hiroshige was still primarily producing book illustrations and single-sheet ukiyo-e prints of beauties and kabuki actors in the Utagawa style, having only begun to explore the landscapes and bird-and-flower subjects that would define his later career around 1829-1830. The inclusion of a 'Western Pocket Watch' in this 'surimono' album print suggests a keen interest in imported novelties and the subtle influence of Western culture during the Edo period, a theme less common in his broader oeuvre of natural landscapes and urban scenes. Surimono prints, often commissioned for private circulation, allowed for greater artistic experimentation and the incorporation of poetic texts, making this piece a unique example of Hiroshige's early work and the cultural curiosities of his time.