The Passing Rain | Hiroshige Vintage Ukiyo-e Art Mug | The Graphic Archive

The Curator’s Note:

There is an incredible power in a single, well-placed line. The Passing Rain (Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi) is the heartbeat of this archive, famous for its revolutionary use of sharp, diagonal lines to depict a summer storm. A single, well-placed line can have a powerful effect. The Passing Rain (Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi) stands out in The Graphic Archive because of its bold use of sharp, diagonal lines to show a summer storm. Its graphic energy was so potent that it captivated Vincent van Gogh, who famously created a painted study of this exact print. While its rival in this gallery—Hokusai’s Yanagi Bridge—offers a quiet, intimate moment, Hiroshige gives us the atmospheric chaos of the elements, setting a crisp, linear tone for the entire collection.

Provenance: Sourced from the Met Open Access Archive, these graphic works represent pivotal moments in art history, bringing museum-grade archival prints into your daily ritual.

The Details

• Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858)

• The Original: Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi and Atake, from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (1857).

• The Legacy: One of the most celebrated woodblock prints in history, it redefined how Western artists viewed perspective and weather.

• The Vessel: 11oz or 15oz premium ceramic. Weighted for a comfortable hold, capturing the fine rain lines and deep indigo woodblock gradients.