The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Fishing at Iwaya on Enoshima

c. 1790

Kitagawa Utamaro

(Japanese, c. 1754–1806)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
triptych of color woodblock prints
Each: 37.8 x 25.2 cm (14 7/8 x 9 15/16 in.)
Gift from J. H. Wade 1921.407
Location: Not on view

Description

The island Enoshima in Kanagawa prefecture in eastern Japan, near the city of Kamakura, is one home of the goddess Benzaiten, who is associated with water as well as music and entertainment. The island’s Iwaya caves were for centuries a place for meditative retreat, but by the time this scene near their entrance was printed, pilgrimages combining religious sentiment with touristic intent were popular, and remain so today.
  • Jacquin Collection (sale: Walpole Galleries, January 20, 1921, lot 116)
    (Yamanaka & Co.)
  • {{cite web|title=Fishing at Iwaya on Enoshima|url=false|author=Kitagawa Utamaro|year=c. 1790|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.407