#53 Kusatsu kara Yabase wa michi no yumi to tsuru (Sailing from Kusatsu to Yabase), Utagawa Hiroshige

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Utagawa Hiroshige, #53 Kusatsu kara Yabase wa michi no yumi to tsuru (Sailing from Kusatsu to Yabase)
Utagawa Hiroshige, #53 Kusatsu kara Yabase wa michi no yumi to tsuru (Sailing from Kusatsu to Yabase)
Utagawa Hiroshige
#53 Kusatsu kara Yabase wa michi no yumi to tsuru (Sailing from Kusatsu to Yabase)
1855–1857, Edo period (1600–1868)
Utagawa Hiroshige
1797–1858
#53 Kusatsu kara Yabase wa michi no yumi to tsuru (Sailing from Kusatsu to Yabase), 1855–1857, Edo period (1600–1868)
Portfolio/Series title: Gojūsan tsugi meisho zukai (Collected Pictures of the Famous 53 Stations), popularly known as Tate-e Tōkaidō (Vertical Tokaido)
Where object was made: Japan
Material/technique: color woodcut
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 342 x 225 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 13 7/16 x 8 7/8 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 370 x 248 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 14 9/16 x 9 3/4 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in
Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial
Accession number: 1928.7225
Not on display
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Exhibition Label: "Images of the Journey," Jun-2005, Hillary Pedersen Water travel in Japan was common, as many islands surrounded the long coastline of the island country. This is the last of the 53 stations along the To-kaido-, where the road intersected with the Nakasendo- highway. The boats seen in the foreground are loading in preparation to sail from Kusatsu to Yabase. Strong winds cutting through the river prevented boats from making a straight path to the other side, thus the route was called a “bowstring.” The woodgrain from the printing block has been rubbed into the surface of the paper, creating a striking pattern across the water. Hiroshige created many versions of the series 53 Stations of the To-kaido-, the one represented here being a vertical one.