Accession Number
1960/2.142

Title
The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido (Tate-e Edition): #38 Fujikawa

Artist(s)
Utagawa Hiroshige

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1855

Medium & Support
full color woodblock print (nishiki e)

Dimensions
13 7/16 in x 9 in (34.13 cm x 22.86 cm);13 7/8 in x 9 1/4 in (35.24 cm x 23.5 cm);19 3/8 in x 14 3/8 in (49.21 cm x 36.51 cm)

Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund

Label copy
These two prints are from the Tate-e (meaning “vertical print”) edition of The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tôkaidô. Fujikawa depicts a procession entering the village, the thirty seventh stop along the Tôkaidô Road, while commoners kneel on the ground until it has passed. Because of the number of feudal lords travelling the road, many stations had multiple inns to receive them. The higher government officials had
their own inn, as did lesser officials, and commoners were forced to stay in yet another set of inns, which differed according to the guest’s ability to pay.
From Spring/Summer 2015 Gallery Rotation
----------
Gojusan tsugi meisho zuye (Fifty-three Famous Views) Series
Hiroshige burst onto the scene as a print designer in 1831, with a series entitled "Fifty-three Stages of the Tôkaidô." An armchair traveler’s guide to the great road that stretched from Edo to Kyôto, its nostalgic vision of rural life made it a best seller. Hiroshige spent the rest of his life producing sequels, of which this is one.
In this scene, we look down into the snow-covered post town of Fujikawa, the thirty-eighth station from Edo. Travelers on the road in winter dressed themselves like portable thatched huts: they covered their heads, shoulders, and hips with straw, for warmth and waterproofing.
Exhibited in "Japanese Costumes & Ceramics, Past & Present," October 2001-February 2002. Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art

Subject matter
A procession enters the village of Fujikawa, the 37th stop along the Tokaido Road. Many feudal lords travelled the road, so many stations, much like Fujikawa, would have had multiple inns for travelers.

Physical Description
A village by a lake is shown in the snow. Several travelers are walking in the streets. The snow is steadily fallling and covers their hats, the roofs of the houses, the trees and the mountains. The title is in the upper right corner in a red box.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Primary Object Type
color print

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
hats
lakes (bodies of water)
landscapes (environments)
natural landscapes
snow (precipitation)
travelers (people by activity)
trees
villages