Kuniyoshi | Five Stations: Yui, Okitsu, Ejiri, Fuchu, and Mariko, Famous Views of the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road
歌川国芳 Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861)
东海道五拾三駅五宿名所 由井、興津、江尻、府中、鞠子
Five Stations: Yui, Okitsu, Ejiri, Fuchu, and Mariko, and Numazu, from the series of Famous Views of the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road
1835
木版画 | 横绘大判 | 25cm x 36cm
Woodblock-print | Oban Yoko-e | 25cm x 36cm
早期版次；颜色鲜艳；整体品相非常好；边缘有些脏痕
Fine impression and colour; some dirt on margins, otherwise in good condition
Hiroshige’s Hoeido Tokaido series in the early 1830s helped make the landscape genre extraordinarily popular. This was a time of peace and prosperity in Edo Japan and, while laws were restrictive, travelling became a fad, if you could find a way to do it. Pilgrimages were one solution, and the weeks-long journey along the Tokaido, the Great Sea Road, from Edo to Kyoto was the once-in-a-lifetime time dream of many.
Racing to capitalize on this, the publishers Tsuruya Kihei and Tsutaya Kichizô engaged Kuniyoshi (at this point using the first name Ichiyusai) to do his own Tokaido series. But the great artist didn’t just parrot Hiroshige, he came up with his own approach, one that is both classic and unique in the annals of Ukiyoe.
Rather than design a print for each of the 53 stops – or “stations” – on the road, he produced 12 prints that included views of several stations in each. To do this, he picked a famous view, often adding some local element in the foreground, and then marked the towns along the way with cartouches in the distance. This was unusual in one sense and traditional in another, because this format produced an effect not unlike viewing a scroll. And it certainly made it easier for his fans to collect them all. These prints are scarce, and Art of Ukiyoe is proud to offer six of them.
In this view, we see Yui, Okitsu, Ejiri, Fuchû, and Mariko. We’ve passed Mount Fuji and are looking back at the places we’ve already visited and a river we’ve forded. This is one of several examples of the series that juxtaposed close-in foreground with distant background, and almost nothing in between.
Partial citation: Along the Tokaido: Twelve Views by Utagawa Kuniyoshi by Amy Poster (Brooklyn Museum; 1977)
Interested in purchasing?
Please contact us.
歌川国芳 Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861)
东海道五拾三駅五宿名所 由井、興津、江尻、府中、鞠子
Five Stations: Yui, Okitsu, Ejiri, Fuchu, and Mariko, and Numazu, from the series of Famous Views of the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road
1835
木版画 | 横绘大判 | 25cm x 36cm
Woodblock-print | Oban Yoko-e | 25cm x 36cm
早期版次；颜色鲜艳；整体品相非常好；边缘有些脏痕
Fine impression and colour; some dirt on margins, otherwise in good condition
Hiroshige’s Hoeido Tokaido series in the early 1830s helped make the landscape genre extraordinarily popular. This was a time of peace and prosperity in Edo Japan and, while laws were restrictive, travelling became a fad, if you could find a way to do it. Pilgrimages were one solution, and the weeks-long journey along the Tokaido, the Great Sea Road, from Edo to Kyoto was the once-in-a-lifetime time dream of many.
Racing to capitalize on this, the publishers Tsuruya Kihei and Tsutaya Kichizô engaged Kuniyoshi (at this point using the first name Ichiyusai) to do his own Tokaido series. But the great artist didn’t just parrot Hiroshige, he came up with his own approach, one that is both classic and unique in the annals of Ukiyoe.
Rather than design a print for each of the 53 stops – or “stations” – on the road, he produced 12 prints that included views of several stations in each. To do this, he picked a famous view, often adding some local element in the foreground, and then marked the towns along the way with cartouches in the distance. This was unusual in one sense and traditional in another, because this format produced an effect not unlike viewing a scroll. And it certainly made it easier for his fans to collect them all. These prints are scarce, and Art of Ukiyoe is proud to offer six of them.
In this view, we see Yui, Okitsu, Ejiri, Fuchû, and Mariko. We’ve passed Mount Fuji and are looking back at the places we’ve already visited and a river we’ve forded. This is one of several examples of the series that juxtaposed close-in foreground with distant background, and almost nothing in between.
Partial citation: Along the Tokaido: Twelve Views by Utagawa Kuniyoshi by Amy Poster (Brooklyn Museum; 1977)
Interested in purchasing?
Please contact us.
歌川国芳 Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861)
东海道五拾三駅五宿名所 由井、興津、江尻、府中、鞠子
Five Stations: Yui, Okitsu, Ejiri, Fuchu, and Mariko, and Numazu, from the series of Famous Views of the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road
1835
木版画 | 横绘大判 | 25cm x 36cm
Woodblock-print | Oban Yoko-e | 25cm x 36cm
早期版次；颜色鲜艳；整体品相非常好；边缘有些脏痕
Fine impression and colour; some dirt on margins, otherwise in good condition
Hiroshige’s Hoeido Tokaido series in the early 1830s helped make the landscape genre extraordinarily popular. This was a time of peace and prosperity in Edo Japan and, while laws were restrictive, travelling became a fad, if you could find a way to do it. Pilgrimages were one solution, and the weeks-long journey along the Tokaido, the Great Sea Road, from Edo to Kyoto was the once-in-a-lifetime time dream of many.
Racing to capitalize on this, the publishers Tsuruya Kihei and Tsutaya Kichizô engaged Kuniyoshi (at this point using the first name Ichiyusai) to do his own Tokaido series. But the great artist didn’t just parrot Hiroshige, he came up with his own approach, one that is both classic and unique in the annals of Ukiyoe.
Rather than design a print for each of the 53 stops – or “stations” – on the road, he produced 12 prints that included views of several stations in each. To do this, he picked a famous view, often adding some local element in the foreground, and then marked the towns along the way with cartouches in the distance. This was unusual in one sense and traditional in another, because this format produced an effect not unlike viewing a scroll. And it certainly made it easier for his fans to collect them all. These prints are scarce, and Art of Ukiyoe is proud to offer six of them.
In this view, we see Yui, Okitsu, Ejiri, Fuchû, and Mariko. We’ve passed Mount Fuji and are looking back at the places we’ve already visited and a river we’ve forded. This is one of several examples of the series that juxtaposed close-in foreground with distant background, and almost nothing in between.
Partial citation: Along the Tokaido: Twelve Views by Utagawa Kuniyoshi by Amy Poster (Brooklyn Museum; 1977)
Interested in purchasing?
Please contact us.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861)
Warriors, ghosts, crabs and cats.
The woodblock print designs of Utagawa Kuniyoshi, one of Ukiyo-e’s most vibrant and creative 19th Century masters, encompass more than that – he depicted landscapes and beautiful women, too – but those are the first genres that come to mind when contemplating this wonderful and eccentric genius and his sprawling, timeless body of work.
From an early age, the young Kuniyoshi was fascinated by drama and history – with a big helping of the supernatural. He loved nature and animals, too – especially cats: again and again they pop up in designs throughout his career (adding a premium to the prices those woodblock prints fetch today). Starting out as a relatively traditional student of the Utagawa school, he soon developed his hugely energetic style, full of dynamic action, and eventually passed it on to his many students – Yoshitoshi being the most famous. Along with Kunisada and Hiroshige, he was among the most prolific of all Ukiyo-e artists.
He was born Yoshisaburō on January 1, 1798 to a silk dyer. Some say his father’s rich patterns influenced his bold, colorful designs. He always loved legends and history. By age 12 he had shown a talent for drawing and become a student of the great Toyokuni, who gave him the name Kuniyoshi. He also studied the Tosa, Kano and Maruyama painting styles.
It took awhile for him to find his place in the thriving Ukiyo-e world. Then in the 1820s he produced his first epic warrior triptychs, and his career success was assured. He often gave legendary heroes fanciful and intricate tattoos of his own design, starting a style craze in Edo.
He eventually expanded genres to include animal studies and landscapes. His wonderful oban yoko-e series of “Famous Views of the Eastern Capital” is especially interesting for its use of Western motifs, such as shadows, billowing clouds and a low vantage point to create atmospheric perspective. While these efforts weren’t always entirely successful, they still resulted in wonderfully lively Ukiyo-e designs.
In all, he produced nearly 250 series for 150 publishers.
During the Tempo reforms of the 1840s, which dramatically censured woodblock prints, he boldly skirted rules barring depictions of actors by putting their faces on various animals, such as turtles.
He died at the age of 63 in April 1861 in his home in Genyadana.
Partial citation: Marks, Andreas, Japanese Woodblock Prints, Artists, Publishers and Masterworks: 1680-1900 (Tuttle; 2010)