Eight Views of Ōmi

The autumn moon at Ishiyama

Artist	Hiroshige

The Eight Views of Ōmi (in Japanese: 近江八景 or Ōmi hakkei) are traditional scenic views of Ōmi Province which is now Shiga Prefecture in Japan.

They were inspired by the Eight Views of Xiaoxiang in China which were first painted in the 11th century and then brought to Japan as a popular theme in the 14–15th centuries. The theme was then used to describe Ōmi province in poetry by Prince Konoe Masaie and his son, Prince Hisamichi, in the 15–16th centuries. The Eight Views of Ōmi then became a popular subject for artists such as Suzuki Harunobu and Utagawa Hiroshige. The theme continued to develop, being transposed to other locations and settings in a process which the Japanese called mitate.

The sights were depicted by Hiroshige in several different series of ukiyo-e pictures, as well as other artists.

They are sometimes erroneously called "Eight Views of Lake Biwa", but the latter were defined to include different locations in 1949 by the government of Shiga Prefecture.

All views are situated at the southern end of the lake. There is no fixed order. The following list circles the lake, beginning on the east side.

Hiroshige alone produced nearly 20 different series "Omi hakkei". Other artists followed. To please everybody, "Eight views of" were created for many parts of Japan, e.g. using surroundings of Edo. A series called "Eight views of Kanazawa" reflects a bay near Yokohama.

Yabase (矢橋帰帆)

Seta (勢多夕照)

Ishiyama (石山秋月)

Awazu (粟津晴嵐)

Mii Temple (三井晩鐘)

Karasaki (唐崎夜雨)

Katata (堅田落雁)

Hira Mountains (比良暮雪)

Hiroshige designed the following ukiyo-e pictures: