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歌川広重画 「東海道五十三次 大尾 京師 三条大橋」|Kyoto: The Great Bridge at Sanjō (Taibi, Keishi, Sanjō Ōhashi), from the series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi)

Utagawa Hiroshige

ca. 1833–34

歌川広重画 「東海道五十三次 大尾 京師 三条大橋」|Kyoto: The Great Bridge at Sanjō (Taibi, Keishi, Sanjō Ōhashi), from the series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi) by Utagawa Hiroshige

Medium

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Dimensions

9 3/5 x 14 1/16 in. (24.4 x 35.7 cm)

Classification

Prints

Culture & Period

Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)

Department

Asian Art

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Rogers Fund, 1918

Accession Number

JP525

Tags

BridgesRiversMountainsHuman Figures

Art Historical Context

Utagawa Hiroshige *Kyoto: The Great Bridge atjō*, from his renowned series *Fifty-Three of the Tōkaidō* (ca. 1833–34), captures a bustling scene along Japan's historic coastal highway. This woodblock print depicts the iconic Sanjō Ōhashi bridge spanning the Kamo River in Kyoto, with travelers crossing amid misty mountains and flowing waters. Hiroshige, a master the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, infuses the composition with dynamic human figures—merchants, pilgrims, and porters—evoking the vibrancy of Edo-period travel. The Tōkaidō road linked Edo (modern Tokyo) to Kyot...

About the Artist

Utagawa Hiroshige · 18261869

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...

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