The Whirlpools of Awa (1857): Art, History and Details

The Whirlpools of Awa (1857) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Late in his career, Hiroshige explored the poetic theme of setsugekka, “snow, moon, and flowers,” in a set of three triptychs. The swirling whirlpools at Awa would remind the viewer of flowers.

Object facts

• Title: The Whirlpools of Awa
• Date: 1857
• Creator attribution: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858)
• Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
• Type: Print
• Technique: One of a triptych of color woodblock prints
• Dimensions: Sheet: 38.4 x 25.8 cm (15 1/8 x 10 3/16 in.)
• Collection: Japanese Art
• Department: Japanese Art
• Accession number: 1930.183.c

Collection credit

Bequest of Edward L. Whittemore

Further reading listed by the museum

• Baatsch, Henri-Alexis, and Hiroshige Andō. Hiroshige. London: Thames & Hudson, 2025.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.