Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige Production date: 1855 (Ansei 2) Kawasaki, The Village of Namamugi and Tsurumi River The bridge on the right is the Tsurumi Bridge that people used to cross Tsurumi River. Several teahouses are located by the bridge. The specialty of these teahouses was Yone-manju (a bun stuffed with sweet bean paste). The grain of the wood is visible at ten-bokashi（the graduated band of blue extends straight across the sky） at the upper edge of the print and at the river. The series, “Views of Famous Places of Fifty-three Stations of the Toukaidou” was produced in 1855, when Hiroshige was 59 years old, and this is his last Toukaidou series. This series is also called “The Toukaidou in Vertical Pictures” since it is produced as the series of vertical pictures. It is considered the vertical composition is not suitable for landscape pictures since it is difficult to find the good balance in the space. However Hiroshige, the master of landscape pictures used this composition in a distinctive way, created the masterpiece series.

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige Production date: 1855 (Ansei 2) In this picture, the view of Shinagawa post station from Goten-yama is illustrated. During Edo period, Goten-yama located at Takanawa Plateau was famous for its fine view of cherry-blossom flowers in spring. Using half the space to depict the sky and ocean, the vague graduated band of red extends straight at horizon gives an accent to this work. The series, “Views of Famous Places of Fifty-three Stations of the Toukaidou” was produced in 1855, when Hiroshige was 59 years old, and this is his last Toukaidou series. This series is also called “The Toukaidou in Vertical Pictures” since it is produced as the series of vertical pictures. It is considered the vertical composition is not suitable for landscape pictures since it is difficult to find the good balance in the space. However Hiroshige, the master of landscape pictures used this composition in a distinctive way, created the masterpiece series.

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige Production date: 1855 (Ansei 2) In this work, profound information of the town is illustrated using the vertical composition. From the top, Mt. Fuji, Edo Castle, warehouses, the Nihonbashi Bridge and fish market are illustrated. The subtitle is Shinonome-no-kei (the view of eastern cloud) and Shinonome indicates the crimson sky at dawn. Therefore in this work, the scenery of lively atmosphere of the early morning fish market is illustrated. The series, “Views of Famous Places of Fifty-three Stations of the Toukaidou” was produced in 1855, when Hiroshige was 59 years old, and this is his last Toukaidou series. This series is also called “The Toukaidou in Vertical Pictures” since it is produced as the series of vertical pictures. It is considered the vertical composition is not suitable for landscape pictures since it is difficult to find the good balance in the space. However Hiroshige, the master of landscape pictures used this composition in a distinctive way, created the masterpiece series.

1851 (Kaei 4), No publisher’s seal This work is one of the pictures inserted in a orihon or a folded book, ”Picture Book of Famous Places of Toukaidou” (Pictures by Hiroshige, published in 1841, 23 pictures in total). The gate of Yugyouji Temple in a beautiful snowy landscape, the approach steps to the temple, which are steeper than the present day, and the solemn Niou, or two guardians’ gate at the end of the approach are illustrated with Hiroshige’s exquisite composition. This gate also appears in the picture map of Yugyouji Temple, but burnt down by the big fire of the Fujisawa Post Station in 1880 (Meiji 13). Utagawa Hiroshige Kansei 9~Ansei 5 (1799~1858) Hiroshige was a pupil of Utagawa Toyohiro. He also studied varieties of painting styles from Kano school, nan-ga (southern Chinese painting style), and Shijō school. He was active as an ukiyo-e artist from Bunsei 1 to his death (1818~1858). He first produced pictures of beautiful women, Kabuki actors and worriers, but from the Tempō era he was acknowledged as a leading landscape artist. He published many pictures of famous places such as the series “Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido”. Hiroshige’s the other fortes were kachoga (picture of birds and flowers) and animal pictures.

Utagawa Hiroshige Production date:1844-47 The Sanjo Ohashi Bridge illustrated in the picture was located at the west edge of the Toukaidou Highway. There was an anecdote that Yoshitsune met his loyal subject Benkei at Gojou Ohashi, which is located southern part of this bridge. In the picture, a woman and a girl are illustrated, and the girl holds a Kyoto’s male doll that wears the costume worn by court nobles. The woman wears kimono with decorative patterns and her hairstyle called “saki-kougai” was popular among Kyoto women.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi Production date:1844-47 The story of ‘Katsura-gawa Renri no Shigarami (The Katsura River and the Eternal Bonds of Love), better known with the title “The Story of Ohan and Chouemon” is set in Ishibe. The is the tragic love story of a 14 years-old girl Ohan and a 38 years-old Chouemon. In the story, Ohan accidentally meets her neighbor Chouemon during the pilgrimage to Ise. They stay at the same inn and fall in love with each other. Their inexcusable relationship leads them to commit the double suicide at the Katsura River. The illustrated young girl seems like Ohan. She is brushing her teeth with a fusa-youji (a tool to brush teeth) in a morning. The red cloth that ties her bangs emphasizes her childlike impression.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi Production date:1844-47 In this picture, a strong woman named “Oiko” is illustrated. One day, Oiko and villagers disputed over the distribution of water into their rice paddy fields. The villagers despised her, since she is a woman, and stopped the water that runs into her field. On that night, Oiko, who was disappointed with what villagers had done to her field, put a gigantic rock at the irrigation canal and sealed the waterway to the villagers’ fields in return. On the next day, the villagers tried to remove the rock, but the rock was too heavy, and they could not move it a bit. The villagers apologized what they had done to her and asked her to remove the rock again. She could easily remove the rock. In the picture, holding a smoking pipe, Oiko chuckles to oneself by overlooking the panicking villagers. This is a part of the Toukaidou series ukiyo-e, but unlike the other works that focus on the landscapes and views of post stations, in this series the scenes based on legends, tales, kabuki drama, and joururi plays that relate to each post station are illustrated. On the upper part of each work, an explanatory note is written and the picture relates to the notes is illustrated on the lower half. This series was rare since three very popular artists from Utagawa School, Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi and Kunisada (Toyokuni III) were all involved to produce the series together. Furthermore, six publishers were collaborated to produce this series. (In this exhibition, works by Utagawa Hiroshige and Utagawa Kuniyoshi are displayed.)