Not just a reliable image of the terrain and not even the elevation of a specific topographic motif to the level of a symbol, but the creation of an image of nature refracted through the prism of experiencing it by man and at the same time influencing the souls of people, creating a special mood in them, dependent on the state of nature. that ambiguous and complex goal that Hiroshige set himself.
Such problems are new for Ukiye-e landscape engravings, but at the same time they fully correspond to its principles, correspond to a much greater degree than the monumental and often removed from human emotions landscapes of Hokusai, in which a person appears as an uninhabited detail in the eternal constructions of nature.
In accordance with the orientation of Ukiyo-e to the world of everyday life, Hiroshige does not shun ordinary life; there are no “vulgar” objects for him, in his works any landscape motif reflected in the perception of man is the way to comprehend the essence of nature, its soul.