The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō

nihongo|"The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō"|東海道五十三次|Tōkaidō Gojūsan-tsugi is a series of ukiyo-e works created by Utagawa Hiroshige after his first travel along the Tōkaidō in 1832.

The Tōkaidō

The Tōkaidō was one of the Five Routes constructed under Tokugawa Ieyasu, a series of roads linking the historical capitol of Edo with the rest of Japan. The Tōkaidō connected Edo with the then-capital of Kyoto. The most important and well-traveled of these, the Tōkaidō travelled along the eastern coast of Honshū, thus giving rise to its name, which means "Eastern Sea Road". Along this road, there were fifty-three different post stations, which provided stables, food, and lodging for travelers.

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 Imperial court.Oka, Isaburō. "Hiroshige: Japan's Great Landscape Artist", p. 75. Kodansha International, 1992. ISBN 4770021216] The horses were a symbolic gift from the Shogun, presented annually in recognition of the Emperor's divine status.Hagen, Rose-Marie, and Rainer Hagen. "Masterpieces in Detail: What Great Paintings Say, Vol. 2", p. 357. Taschen, 2000. ISBN 3822813729]

The landscapes of the journey made a profound impression on the artist, and he created numerous sketches during the course of the trip, as well as his return to Edo via the same route. After his arrival at home, he immediately began work on the first prints from "The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō". Eventually, he would produce fifty-five prints in the whole series: one for each station, plus one apiece for the starting and ending points.

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. Woodcuts of this style commonly sold as new for between twelve and sixteen copper coins apiece, approximately the same price as a pair of straw sandals or a bowl of soup.Hagen & Hagen, "Masterpieces in Detail", p. 352.] The runaway success of "The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō" established Hiroshige as the most prominent and successful printmaker of the Tokugawa era.Goldberg, Steve. "Hiroshige" in "Lives & Legacies: An Encyclopedia of People Who Changed the World - Writers and Musicians", Ed. Michel-André Bossy, Thomas Brothers & John C. McEnroe, p.86. Greenwood Press, 2001. ISBN 1573561541]

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).

Historical impact

During his time in Paris, Vincent Van Gogh was an avid collector of ukiyo-e, amassing with his brother a collection of several hundred prints purchased in the gallery of S. Bing.Edwards, Cliff. "Van Gogh and God: A Creative Spiritual Quest", p. 90. Loyola Press, 1989. ISBN 0829406212] This collection included works from "The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō", and Van Gogh incorporated stylistic elements from his collection into his own work, such as bright colors, natural details, and unconventional perspectives.Edwards. "Van Gogh and God", p. 94.] In his personal correspondence, he stated, "...all of my work is founded on Japanese art...", and described the Impressionists as "the Japanese of France".Edwards. "Van Gogh and God", p. 93.]

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".Fowler, Penny. "Frank Lloyd Wright: Graphic Artist", p. 30. Pomegranate, 2002. ISBN 0764920170] 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. 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.Fowler, "Frank Lloyd Wright", p. 31.]

ee also

*"The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaidō" by Hiroshige

References