Japanese Prints: Seasons & Places

In Japanese culture, art, and literature, the four seasons are often linked with famous places (meisho), annual festivals, and the thoughtful appreciation of natural phenomena including winter snow, bright autumn foliage, and springtime cherry blossoms (sakura). This small selection from the Library’s extensive holdings of Japanese color woodblock prints features seasonal festivals and celebrated destinations, traditional pastimes from firefly-catching to flower and moon-viewing, and an array of natural beauties. We would love to hear your personal stories and responses to these images and hope you will explore further.

Learn more:

•View more Japanese Fine Prints in Library of Congress collections and read background information about the collection.
•Have a look at modern prints from the College Women's Association of Japan Print Show Collection (the pictures are small because of rights considerations)
•Tour virtually the Library’s Japanese Prints & Illustrated Books/The Floating World of Ukiyo-e exhibit Web site
•Sample Japanese art and manuscripts celebrating Tokyo’s gift of cherry trees to Washington/ Sakura: Cherry Blossoms as Living Symbols of Friendship exhibit Web site
•Read more about seasons in Japanese culture: Shirane, Haruo. Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons. New York: Columbia University Press, 2012.