Japan: 'Plum Park in Kameido'. Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige(1797 - 12 October 1858), 1857. The plum orchard in bloom with its white blossoms and red sky is considered Hiroshige's greatest work and a masterpiece of the ˉukiyo-eˇ (floating world) artistic tradition that was popular during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Utagawa, or Ando, Hiroshige was born in Edo (now Tokyo) and was originally a fire warden like his father. He was first inspired by the work of Katsushika Hokusai to become an ukiyo-e artist, and he was mentored by Utagawa Toyohiro, a renowned painter.