Mishima: Morning Mist (Mishima, Asagiri)

This print is titled “Mishima: Morning Mist.” The slight yellow hue within the mist indicates early morning, as well as the person on top of the hose/ luggage still asleep. The mist is a clear separator of the foreground and the background, creating a feeling of depth within the piece, as one can imagine what’s lurking in the mist as shown by simple black outlines of people, trees, homes, and temple shrines. It all creates a feeling of a lived-in world. Along with the mist, what adds to the value of depth is the slow and gradual fade of the ground, being engulfed by the mist no longer in view. Hiroshige captures a moment in everyday life, as you can see workers carrying what seem to be higher status people, one on a horse and another being carried by the workers. Hiroshige is capturing the environment that is lived in by people going about their lives.

• Jesus Martinez Gomez