東海道五十三次 石部|Ishibe
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
JP802
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Ishibe from *The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō*** Utagawa Hirosh's *Ishibe* (ca. 1840) captures a serene moment at the Ishibe station along the historic Tōkaidō road, the vital artery connecting Edo (modern Tokyo) to Kyoto during Japan's Edo period (16151868). Part of Hiroshige's renowned series *The Fifty-three Stations of Tōkaidō*, this woodblock print depicts life with travelers—men and women—pausing amid quaint houses framed by lush trees. Hiroshige, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, elevates ordinary scenes into poetic landscapes, blending hu...
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...