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Introduction

Hiroshige's "Fifty-Three Stages of the Tokaido"

A Journey Through Japanese Woodblock Prints, Part II
August 29 - December 14, 1997

Hiroshige (1797-1858) was one of the most successful and prolific artists of his time. The "Fifty-Three Stages of the Tokaido" was, and remains, his most popular work. In this series, Hiroshige represents a variety of landscapes along Japan's Eastern Sea Route, from Edo (modern Tokyo) to Kyoto. Each of his scenes is uniquely defined not only by mountains and rivers, but also by the artist's ability to represent particular atmospheric conditions and to suggest moods. Through these images, Hiroshige invites his viewer to journey along with his travelers.

Inspired by Japan's rich artistic traditions, Hiroshige was the first to combine depictions of famous sites with intimate genre scenes. Within a framework of great scenic beauty, he often inserts humorous episodes of daily activities along the road. He depicts many of the realities of travel, including the leisure industry with developed along the road.

Here we invite you to travel through some of the most engaging and characteristic scnees of Hiroshige's Tokaido.

Selected Objects

Utagawa Hiroshige

Mie River, Yokkaichi (Yokkaichi miegawa), ca. 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige

Mishima: Morning mist (Mishima asagiri), ca. 1833

Tsuruya Kiemon, publisher

Okabe: Mount Utsu (Okabe utsu no yama), ca. 1833

Takenouchi Magohachi, publisher

Numazu: Twilight (Numazu tasogare zu), ca. 1833

Takenouchi Magohachi, publisher

Odawara: Sakawa River (Odawara sakawagawa), ca. 1833

Takenouchi Magohachi, publisher

Okitsu: Okitsu River (Okitsu okitsugawa), ca. 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige

Ōiso: Tora's Rain (Ōiso tora ga ame), ca. 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige

Inn with serving maids, Akasaka (Akasaka ryosha shofu no zu), ca. 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige

Fudesute Peak, Sakanoshita (Sakanoshita fudesute mine), ca. 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige

Yoshiwara: Mt. Fuji on the Left (Yoshiwara hidari fuji), ca. 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige

Kanbara: Night snow (Kanbara yoru no yuki), ca. 1833

Takenouchi Magohachi, publisher

Mariko: Famous Teahouse (Mariko meibutsu chamise), ca. 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige

Kakegawa: View of Mount Akiba (Kakegawa akibayama enbō), ca. 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige

Fukuroi: Outdoor Tea Stall (Fukuroi dechaya no zu), ca. 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige

Desolate winter, Hamamatsu (Hamamatsu fuyugare no zu), ca. 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige

Women soliciting travelers, Goyu (Goyu tabibito tomeonna), ca. 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige

Early Departure from the Inn for Daimyo, Seki (Seki honjin hayadachi), ca. 1833

More objects +

RISD Museum

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