The Fifty-Three Post Stations of the Tokaido Highway Item Number: N2.1209 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Print of a group of people travelling down a tree lined path. Three people are riding on the back of one horse, with another person on horseback ahead of them, and a person walking ahead of that. There are two mountains in the background and grass on either side of the path. Print of Yoshiwara Station (#14). This is one of a series of reproductions of the "53 Post Stations on the Tokaido Hwy," from Nihonbashi to Kyoto (Hoei-do edition). Print is matted on a piece of white-yellow paper and has an additional cover page that folds over the print. A printed inscription on the cover page reads: " YOSHIWARA A town at the foot of Mt.Fiji. There are Japanese characters at the top, bottom, and side of the printed message.

Narrative

This series (Hoeido Edition) was reproduced by Nihon Hanga Kenkyu-Sho Ltd. (Japan Institute for the Study of Woodblock Prints) through the skill of renowned modern engravers; it took three years to complete.
A printed inscription on the cover page reads: "YOSHIWARA A town at the foot of Mt.Fuji...as print No.4, this scene recalls the novel "Hizakurige," in which the chief characters pass through Motoyshiwara to Yoshiwara. The book extols this view at Yoshiwara since Mt.Fuji is directly ahead. The print, however, makes Mt. Fuji very small."

Item History

What

Name
The Fifty-Three Post Stations of the Tokaido Highway
Identification Number
N2.1209
Type of Item
print
Image
height 25.8 cm, width 38.8 cm
Overall
height 34.5 cm, width 49.0 cm

Who

Culture
Japanese
Creator
Hiroshige Utagawa (Maker)
Previous Owner
Japan Trading Co.
Received from
Japan Trading Co. (Seller) and Leon & Thea Koerner Foundation (Funding source)

Where

Holding Institution
MOA: University of British Columbia
Made in
Japan

When

Creation Date
during 1952
Ownership Date
before 1957
Acquisition Date
during 1957

Other

Item Classes
works on paper
Condition
good