Fifty-Three Stages of the Tokaido

Fifty-Three Stages of the Tokaido by Hiroshige, Utagawa; Kondo, Ichitaro. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780824800253.

8 1/2" x 5 1/2" non-bound collection of 55 color prints on heavy stock from the Ukiyoe artist Hiroshige Ando of The Fifty-Three Stages of The Tokaido, with text in English and Japanese on the reverse, in a red envelope style wrap. Unstated publication date, looks like approx. 1950. Hiroshige Ando (1797-1858) is well known as an Ukiyoe artist in the latter period of Edo who accomplished Japanese landscapes. His studio name was Ichiyasai, which was changed to Ichiryusai later. He studied Ukiyoe under toyoshige Utagawa and was allowed later to use his own name of Hiroshige. Hiroshige suggests "the fifty-three stages on Tokaido highway". Having mastered Nanso-ga, he drew Yakusha-e, Musha-e, Bijin-ga and in the year of 1834 he drew the "fifty-three stages of Tokaido", which made him one of the leading landscape painters. Hiroshige completed emotional landscapes by the art of drawing was in which striking contrast to that of Hokusai Katsushika. Especially snow-scapes, landscapes dimmed by rain and a bright moon drawn by him are distinguished. The features of his drawing lie in the adoption of the changes of nature.