The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō
The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (東海道五十三次, Tōkaidō Gojūsan-tsugi), in the Hōeidō edition (1833–1834), is a series of
The Tōkaidō road, linking the
Even though the Hōeidō edition is by far the best known, The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō was such a popular subject that it led Hiroshige to create some 30 different series of woodcut prints on it, all very different one from the other by their size (ōban or chuban), their designs or even their number (some series include just a few prints).
The Hōeidō edition of the Tōkaidō is Hiroshige's best known work, and the best sold ever ukiyo-e Japanese prints.[2] Coming just after Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series, it established this new major theme of ukiyo-e, the landscape print, or fūkei-ga, with a special focus on "famous views".
The Tōkaidō
The Tōkaidō was one of the
Hiroshige and the Tōkaidō
In 1832, Hiroshige traveled the length of the Tōkaidō from Edo to Kyoto, as part of an official delegation transporting horses that were to be presented to the
The landscapes encountered during the journey left a profound impression on the artist, inspiring him to create numerous sketches throughout the trip and upon his return to Edo via the same route. Upon arriving home, he immediately commenced work on the first prints for The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō.[3] In the end, he completed a total of 55 prints for the entire series: one for each station along the Tōkaidō, as well as one for both the starting and ending points. But whether he actually visited all the stations and depicted them from his view is subject to academic debate, as some elements in his woodblock prints have been found to actually borrow directly from other works such as the Tōkaidō meisho zue (東海道名所図会) from 1797. An example is the view of the station Ishibe „Megawa Village“ which is almost identical to the view in the Tōkaidō meisho zue.[5]
The first of the prints in the series was published jointly by the publishing houses of Hōeidō and Senkakudō, with the former handling all subsequent releases on its own.[3] Woodcuts of this style commonly sold as new for between 12 and 16 copper coins apiece, approximately the same price as a pair of straw sandals or a bowl of soup.[6] The runaway success of The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō established Hiroshige as the most prominent and successful printmaker of the Tokugawa era.[7]
Hiroshige followed up on this series with The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaidō in cooperation with Keisai Eisen, documenting each of the post stations of the Nakasendō (which was alternatively referred to as the Kiso Kaidō).
The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)
The Hōeidō edition is properly titled Tōkaidō Gojūsan-tsugi no uchi (東海道五十三次之内).[8] Besides the fifty-three stations themselves, the series includes one print for the departure, Nihonbashi (the bridge of Japan), and a final one, the 55th print, Keishi, Kyoto, the imperial capital.
No. | Woodcut print | Station no. and English name | Japanese | Transliteration |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | First edition: Second edition: |
Leaving Edo : Nihonbashi, (The bridge of Japan) | 日本橋 | Nihonbashi |
2 | 1st station : Shinagawa.[N 1] | 品川 | Shinagawa | |
3 | 2nd station : Kawasaki | 川崎 | Kawasaki | |
4 | 3rd station : Kanagawa | 神奈川 | Kanagawa | |
5 | 4th station : Hodogaya | 程ヶ谷, 保土ヶ谷 | Hodogaya | |
6 | 5th station : Totsuka | 戸塚 | Totsuka | |
7 | 6th station : Fujisawa | 藤沢 | Fujisawa | |
8 | 7th station : Hiratsuka | 平塚 | Hiratsuka | |
9 | 8th station : Oiso (Rain on a town by the coast) | 大磯 | Oiso
| |
10 | 9th station : Odawara (Crossing the Sakawa river at a ford) | 小田原 | Odawara | |
11 | 10th station : Hakone (High rocks by a lake) | 箱根 | Hakone | |
12 | 11th station : Mishima (Travellers passing a shrine in the mist) | 三島 | Mishima | |
13 | 12th station : Numazu | 沼津 | Numazu | |
14 | 13th station : Hara (Travellers passing Mount Fuji) | 原 | Hara | |
15 | 14th station : Yoshiwara | 吉原 | Yoshiwara | |
16 | 15th station : Kanbara (A village in the snow) | 蒲原 | Kanbara | |
17 | 16th station : Yui (Travellers on a high cliff by the sea) | 由井, 由比 | Yui | |
18 | 17th station : Okitsu | 興津 | Okitsu | |
19 | 18th station : Ejiri | 江尻 | Ejiri | |
20 | 19th station : Fuchū | 府中, 駿府 | Fuchū | |
21 | 20th station : Mariko (A roadside restaurant) | 鞠子, 丸子 | Mariko | |
22 | 21st station : Okabe | 岡部 | Okabe | |
23 | 22nd station : Fujieda | 藤枝 | Fujieda | |
24 | 23rd station : Shimada | 島田 | Shimada | |
25 | 24th station : Kanaya (Crossing a wide river) | 金屋, 金谷 | Kanaya | |
26 | 25th station : Nissaka | 日坂 | Nissaka | |
27 | 26th station : Kakegawa | 掛川 | Kakegawa | |
28 | 27th station : Fukuroi | 袋井 | Fukuroi | |
29 | 28th station : Mitsuke | 見附 | Mitsuke | |
30 | 29th station : Hamamatsu | 浜松 | Hamamatsu | |
31 | 30th station : Maisaka | 舞阪 | Maisaka | |
32 | 31st station : Arai | 荒井, 新居 | Arai | |
33 | 32nd station : Shirasuka | 白須賀 | Shirasuka | |
34 | 33rd station : Futagawa | 二川 | Futagawa | |
35 | 34th station : Yoshida | 吉田 | Yoshida | |
36 | 35th station : Goyu | 御油 | Goyu | |
37 | 36th station : Akasaka | 赤坂 | Akasaka | |
38 | 37th station : Fujikawa | 藤川 | Fujikawa | |
39 | 38th station : Okazaki | 岡崎 | Okazaki
| |
40 | 39th station : Chiryu | 池鯉鮒, 知立 | Chiryu
| |
41 | 40th station : Narumi | 鳴海 | Narumi | |
42 | 41st station : Miya | 宮 | Miya | |
43 | 42nd station : Kuwana | 桑名 | Kuwana | |
44 | 43rd station : Yokkaichi | 四日市 | Yokkaichi | |
45 | 44th station : Ishiyakushi | 石薬師 | Ishiyakushi | |
46 | 45th station : Shōno[N 2] (Travellers surprised by sudden rain) | 庄野 | Shōno | |
47 | 46th station : Kameyama (A castle on a snow-covered slope) | 亀山 | Kameyama | |
48 | 47th station : Seki (Departure from the inn) | 関 | Seki | |
49 | 48th station : Sakashita | 坂下 | Sakashita | |
50 | 49th station : Tsuchiyama | 土山 | Tsuchiyama | |
51 | 50th station : Minakuchi | 水口 | Minakuchi | |
52 | 51st station : Ishibe | 石部 | Ishibe | |
53 | 52nd station : Kusatsu | 草津 | Kusatsu | |
54 | 53rd station : Otsu | 大津 | Otsu
| |
55 | The end of the Tōkaidō: arriving at Kyoto. | 京師 | Keishi ("the capital")
|
Historical impact
In 1850, Utagawa Kuniyoshi created his woodblock print inspired by the Hiroshige's, called Cats Suggested As The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō. Unlike Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi showed every station not with a landscape, but with "cat puns".[9]
During his time in
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was an enthusiastic collector of Hiroshige's prints, including those of The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō. In 1906, he staged the first ever retrospective of Hiroshige's work at the Art Institute of Chicago, describing them in the exhibition catalog as some of "the most valuable contributions ever made to the art of the world".[13] Two years later, he contributed elements of his collection to another exhibition of ukiyo-e at the Art Institute. Wright also designed the gallery space of the exhibit, which at that time was the largest display of its kind in history.[13] Appreciating the prints on a professional level as well as an aesthetic one, Wright mined his prints for insights into the nature of designing structures, modifying damaged prints by adding lines and shadow in an effort to understand their operating principles.[14]
Hiroshige's Tokaidō prints have since been referenced in popular culture. Weezer's 1996 album Pinkerton, for example, uses Kanbara as its cover art.[15]
In 2012, British contemporary artist
See also
- The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaidō by Hiroshige
Notes
- ^ Shinagawa overlooked the Shinagawa bay, south of Edo; the seashore was strewn with brothels, where courtesans received their clients. Balconies were overlooking the beautiful seascapes of the bay, depicted by Kiyonage in his famous series of diptychs, Minami no Juniko (the twelve months of the South)
- ^ Shōno is one of the most famous prints of the whole series.
References
- Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Tōkaidō Gojūsan tsugi"in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 973.
- ^ Forbes, Andrew; Henley, David (2014). Utagawa Hiroshige's 53 Stations of the Tokaido. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. B00LM4APAI (full series)
- ^ ISBN 4-7700-2121-6
- ISBN 3-8228-1372-9
- ^ "English: Illustration of Okabe from "Compilation of Views of Famous Sights along the Tōkaidō" (東海道名所図会, "Tōkaidō meisho zue") ; text by Akisato Ritō and illustrated by Kitao Masayoshi and Takehara Shunsensai, 1797, vl. I". 1797.
- ^ Hagen & Hagen, Masterpieces in Detail, p. 352.
- ISBN 1-57356-154-1
- ^ 保永堂版 東海道五拾三次 [The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, Hōeidō edition] (in Japanese). Chisoku Art Museum. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ "Obsessed with Cats: The Ukiyo-e Prints of Utagawa Kuniyoshi". 10 October 2016.
- ISBN 0-8294-0621-2
- ^ Edwards. Van Gogh and God, p. 94.
- ^ Edwards. Van Gogh and God, p. 93.
- ^ ISBN 0-7649-2017-0
- ^ Fowler, Frank Lloyd Wright, p. 31.
- ^ "Hiroshige / Evening Snow at Kambara (Kambara yoru no yuki), no. 16 from the Series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido (Tokaido gosantsugi no uchi) / 1832 – 1833". daviddrumsey.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- ^ "US artist wins £25,000 BP Portrait prize with painting of 'Auntie'. 'Carl Randall - Painting the faces in Japan's crowded cities'.", The Guardian, 2012
- ^ The 2012 BP Travel Award, The National Portrait Gallery, London, 2013, retrieved 11 December 2013
- ^ Susan (19 June 2013), In the Footsteps of Hiroshige - The Tokaido Highway and Portraits of Modern Japan, The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, London, retrieved 11 December 2013
- ^ Victoria Pease (12 November 2013). "Painting Japan: Carl Randall on bringing Asia to Aberdeen". STV. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ 東海道ハイウェイー江戸から現代の肖像ー. (in Japanese), Shizuoka Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Japan, 2014
- ^ Carl Randall's 'Tokaido Highway Portraits' to be displayed in Japan for the first time, 8 July to 11 September 2014., The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, London, 2014
- ^ Follow in the footsteps of Carl Randall on the Tokaido Highway (Time Out Tokyo), Time Out Tokyo, Japan, 2014
External links
- Different editions of the series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road (hiroshige.org.uk)
- Wright's Tokaido — FLLW's annotated Hiroshige album — documentary at hiroshige.org.uk