Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

Kusatsu: From Kusatsu to Yabase, a Bow and Bowstring (草津　草津より矢ばせは道の弓となる Kusatsu, Kusatsu kara Yabase michi no yumi to tsuru)

Maker

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797-1858, b. in Edo, Japan)
Tsutaya Kichizō 蔦屋吉蔵 (1830-1859, Edo, Japan), publisher

Title

Kusatsu: From Kusatsu to Yabase, a Bow and Bowstring (草津　草津より矢ばせは道の弓となる Kusatsu, Kusatsu kara Yabase michi no yumi to tsuru)
from the series Famous Sights of the Fifty-three Stations (五十三次名所図会 Gojūsan tsugi meisho zue)

Period

Edo Period

Year

1855

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink and colors

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Japan

Dimensions

Vertical ōban: 37.2 x 25.1 cm (14 5/8 x 9 7/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: 広重筆

Seals: Censor's seal | aratame

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Marshall H. Gould

Object Number

46.294.2

Type

Exhibition History

The Road Less Traveled
Edo's Nakasendō
Nov 09, 2024 – May 04, 2025

Label copy

The Nakasendō followed the banks of Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest freshwater lake. Believed to be home of the goddess Benzaiten, the lake was named for the musical instrument she favored—the lute, or biwa. Hiroshige’s prints show the lake from two different vantage points. On the left, mountains overshadow it, while on the right, its size is highlighted by the line of boats disappearing in the distance.

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797-1858, b. in Edo, Japan)
Tsutaya Kichizō 蔦屋吉蔵 (1830-1859, Edo, Japan), publisher
Kusatsu: From Kusatsu to Yabase, a Bow and Bowstring (草津　草津より矢ばせは道の弓となる Kusatsu, Kusatsu kara Yabase michi no yumi to tsuru); from the series Famous Sights of the Fifty-three Stations (五十三次名所図会 Gojūsan tsugi meisho zue), 1855
Polychrome woodblock print (nishiki-e)
Vertical ōban: 37.2 x 25.1 cm (14 5/8 x 9 7/8 inches)
Gift of Marshall H. Gould 46.294.2

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