Numazu—Dusk (Numazu—tasogare zu), from the series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi no uchi)
1831-34
Medium
Color woodblock print; ōban
Dimensions
24.8 × 36.7 cm (9 3/4 × 14 7/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
33887
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Travelers on the Tōkaidō Road (the highway running between Edo and Kyoto) often stopped at inns along the route, such as this one at Numazu. In this image, the bright full moon illuminates the path of three pilgrims. One carries a portable shrine with a long-nosed tengu (goblin) mask, meant to provide spiritual protection.
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...