No. 45: Ochiai, from the series "Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido (Kisokaido rokujukyu tsugi no uchi)"
c. 1835/38
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
24.2 × 36.5 cm (9 1/2 × 14 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
26469
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), a master of the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition, captures the rugged beauty of travel in *No. 45: Ochiai* from his renowned series *Sixty-nine of the Kisokaido* (c. 1835/38). This oban-sized color woodblock print (24.2 × 36.5 cm) depicts the 45th station along the historic Kisokaido road, a vital inland route connecting Edo (modern Tokyo) to Kyoto during Japan's Edo period (1603–1868). Hiroshige's series, rivaling his earlier Tokaido prints, celebrated the landscapes, post towns, and weary travelers of these routes, making grand scenery accessible to everyday v...
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...