Japanese Woodblock Print Hiroshige Ando 1829 - 1869

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Japanese Woodblock Print by Hiroshige Ando (1829 - 1859). Original woodblock print measuring about 5" x 8" tabbed down on the right side to a sheet measuring about 9 1/2" x 15". The print is in excellent condition and the backing sheet is good with light soiling at the base and some roughness at the edges. Text on the sheet in Japanese and in English "Fifty-three Stages of Tokaido Series 18 (the stage Okitsu) By Hiroshige Ando". Offered with no reserve. The Fifty-Three Stations of the TÅkaidÅ Introduction The TÅkaidÅ (literally, the 'Eastern Sea Road') was the main road of feudal Japan. It ran for roughly five hundred kilometers between the old imperial capital, Kyoto, w the Emperor still lived, and the effective capital, Edo (now known as Tokyo), w the ShÅgun lived. From Kyoto it was a very short trip to It ran more or less along the coast (in part the Pacific, in part the Inland Sea) from Tokyo to Nagoya, along a path which contains some of the most beautiful scenery in Japan, including spots w mountains suddenly meet the sea. It then ran across the mountains, and around the southern end of Lake Biwa, to Kyoto. Fifty-three stations (not counting the two termini), which became post-towns ( shuku-eki ) over time, were established along it; they consisted of horse and porter stations, along with a range of lodging, food, etc, establishments for the use of travellers. The horses were mainly for use by official messengers, but weary travellers could also hire horses, or kago (palanquins). Checkpoints called seki were set up by the Tokugawa government, w guards stood watch, and turned back those who did not have the appropriate passes. Within Edo itself, each section of the city ( machi ) was closed off by wooden gates called kido , which were closed every night, and re-opened early in the morning. A traveller wishing to start the first stage, at the Nihon-bashi (literally "Japan Bridge") in the heart of Edo would have to wait until the kido at the bridge was opened. Additional barriers to travel were the larger rivers, which were generally unbridged (in part as a deliberate measure of the government, to slow down the movement of any large rebellious army, should one be formed). When the river was flowing, travellers had to cross in boats, or be carried in kago , or on the back of a porter. After a heavy rain, crossings might be halted for several days, forcing all to wait for the waters to subside. Another place w water could cause delays were at the two places w travellers normally took boats: at the stage from Maisaka to Arai, w a boat ride avoided a lengthy detour inland around Lake Hamana (a large brackish lake open to the ocean), and at the stage from Miya to Kuwana, w the road was cut off by the sea. Bad weather at either could also hold up travellers until the boatmen were prepared to venture out. Most travelers covered the roughly five hundred kilometers on foot, usually travelling several stages per day, although travellers might spend several days at a station, if they were so inclined. The journey normally took about two weeks; a trip of only a week or so was possible if the traveller hurried, but bad weather could easily stretch it to a month. Among the travellers on the Tokaido were the processions of the great daimyÅ , who were mandated to spend every other year at the Shogun's court (to prevent them from organizing rebellions), and travelled back and forth in huge processions numbering hundreds of people. Path This map: shows the path of the Tokaido, and the location of each station. The stations are numbered starting from the Tokyo end, and the numbering conventionally includes the start and termination as well as the stations; for this reason, most print series showing the stages of the Tokaido actually include 55 images. (The other road shown is the KisokaidÅ , named after the Kiso river, which it follows for part of its path.) Other Main Roads The Tokaido was the best of a series of roads mai... read more

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