Hiroshige 広重: Station Okabe from the Figure Tokaido

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) 広重
Title: Station Okabe
Series: Fifty-three Stations [of the Tôkaidô Road] (Gojusan tsugi); Also known as the Jinbutsu, or Figure Tokaido 五十三次
Date: 1852

A woman dozes in a rustic palanquin as two porters approach the crest of the steep incline near Station Okabe. We see several travelers behind them; one seems somehow irate, perhaps the reason being that the porters are blocking the path.  Mountaintops and hilltops rise behind them, giving indication of how high the travelers must have climbed. Hiroshige produced more than three dozen Tokaido series following the success of the Hoeido Tokaido in 1833. This one is known as the “Figure Tokaido” or the “Mankind’ Tokaido”, as the individuals feature prominently, rather than being bit players to the landscape as with most of his other Tokaido series. It is interesting to glimpse how society got around before the advent of trains and automobiles.

Dimensions: chûban 24.9 x 17.7 
Publisher: Muraichi
Signature: Hiroshige ga
Literature: See the Art Institute of Chicago online, MFA.
Condition: Very good impression, color and condition. Backed. Minor smudges.

SKU: HIR554