東海道五十三次 荒井|Arai
ca. 1840
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Overall: 8 3/4 x 13 3/4in. (22.2 x 34.9cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Francis Lathrop Collection, Purchase, Frederick C. Hewitt Fund, 1911
Accession Number
JP782
Tags
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Hiroshige's *Arai*, from his renowned series *The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō* (ca. 1840), captures a serene moment at the Arai station along Japan's historic coastal highway connecting Edo (modern Tokyo) to Kyoto. Created during the Edo period (1615–1868), this woodblock print reflects the era's fascination with travel and the floating world (*ukiyo-e*), where Hiroshige excelled in evoking poetic landscapes. The Tōkaidō road, with its 53 official post stations, symbolized mobility and commerce, and Hiroshige's depictions brought these scenes into homes across Japan, blending e...
About the Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige · 1826–1869
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), born Andō Tokutarō, was the last great master of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking and one of the most influential landscape artists in history. Born in Edo (modern Tokyo) into a low-ranking samurai family serving as fire wardens, Hiroshige transformed landscape printmaking into a poetic meditation on nature, weather, and everyday life. His revolutionary approac...