HIROSHIGE ANDO WOODBLOCK COLOR PRINT
PRODUCED IN JAPAN IN THE 1930s
53 STATIONS ALONG THE TOKAIDO RAILWAY
EXCELLENT CONDITION
This lovely color woodblock print, “Tokaido 53 Tsugi” by Hiroshige Ando, is a leaf from a booklet that was produced in Japan in the 1930s. I purchased this woodblock print in Japan in 1971 from an antique dealer. The design motif is a long bridge over water with mountains and a castle in the distance.
This woodblock print is a wonderful example of the design, artistry, and craftsmanship of fine vintage art print production.
STATS: The color woodblock print (which I believe was a page from a booklet called “Fifty Three Stations Along The Tokaido Railway” by Hiroshige that was produced in Japan in the 1930s) measures approx. 3 1/2” high and approx. 5 1/2” wide. It is gently mounted on the top two corners to a heavier paper that measures approx, 5” high by 7 1/2” wide. The script title on this page reads, “Yahigi Bridge at Okazaki”. Also included is an uncut brown matte board that measures approx. 8 1/2” high by 11 1/2” wide. The colors of the print are still strong and crisp with no fading, stains or creasing. This beautiful print has been well cared for and appreciated for many years.
ABOUT THE SUBJECT OF THIS PRINT: Okazaki--Yahagi Bridge, c. 1832-1833
Utagawa Hiroshige - Running along the Pacific coastline, the Tōkaidō road was interrupted by many rivers. But there were only a few bridges. This was partly because builders lacked the expertise to construct bridges that could withstand frequent floods. Another reason was that rivers were effective natural barriers. Fording a swift waterway would thwart enemy troops marching toward the government stronghold in Edo. Yahagi bridge, spanning some 1250 feet, was therefore exceptional, and no doubt astonishing to travelers.
This composition includes a view of Okazaki castle, the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan from 1603 until 1867. After Ieyasu’s death and deification, the castle was considered sacred, and only high-ranking lords with close connections to the Tokugawa family were appointed to occupy it. Perhaps that was why the government allowed the impressive bridge to be constructed. Hiroshige’s print shows a feudal lord’s procession making its way across the bridge en route to the castle.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: Utagawa Hiroshige (born Andō Tokutarō 12 October 1858), was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, considered the last great master of that tradition.
Hiroshige is best known for his horizontal-format landscape series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō and for his vertical-format landscape series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. The subjects of his work were atypical of the ukiyo-e genre, whose typical focus was on beautiful women, popular actors, and other scenes of the urban pleasure districts of Japan's Edo period (1603–1868). The popular series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Hokusai was a strong influence on Hiroshige's choice of subject, though Hiroshige's approach was more poetic and ambient than Hokusai's bolder, more formal prints. Subtle use of color was essential in Hiroshige's prints, often printed with multiple impressions in the same area and with extensive use of bokashi (color gradation), both of which were rather labor-intensive techniques.
For scholars and collectors, Hiroshige's death marked the beginning of a rapid decline in the ukiyo-e genre, especially in the face of the westernization that followed the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Hiroshige's work came to have a marked influence on western European painting towards the close of the 19th century as a part of the trend in Japonism. Western European artists, such as Manet and Monet, collected and closely studied Hiroshige's compositions: Vincent van Gogh, for instance, painted copies of some Hiroshige prints.
This lovely and unique treasure would make a wonderful addition to your art or ephemera collection or would be a thoughtful gift.
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Please understand that I primarily sell vintage or antique pieces. While I try to describe any flaws accurately and to the best of my ability, remember that vintage pieces will always have imperfections – the “patina” that gives them their history and charm. If you’re looking for perfection, you may be disappointed.
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