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

Utagawa Hiroshige, artist

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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Label texts

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.