Kanaya: The Far Bank of the Oi River (Kanaya, Oigawa engan), from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road (Tokaido gojusan tsugi no uchi)," also known as the Hoeido Tokaido
c. 1833/34
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
24.1 × 36 cm (9 1/2 × 14 3/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
25657
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Hiroshige *Kanaya: The Far Bank of the Oi River* is a captivating color woodblock print from his landmark series *Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road* (c. 1833/34), also called the Hōeidō Tōkaidō its publisher. This oban-sized print (24.1 × 36 cm) depicts the 27th station along Japan's historic coastal highway connecting Edo (modern Tokyo) to Kyoto during the Edo period. Hiroshige, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, immortalized the rugged Oi River crossing at Kanaya, where travelers relied on strong porters—often women—to ford the swift waters, ...
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...