Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Miya - from the 53 Stations of the Tokaido

Size: 27.0cm by 40.0cm (10.63 in by 15.75 in) | Enlargement | Shipping Code: [L] ?

Designer: Ando Hiroshige

Era: Mid Showa | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: ¥ 7,000$ 58.00£ 50.50€ 58.50 [Item has been sold]

Description: This is a print from what is perhaps the single most famous series of Japanese woodblock prints ever produced - "The 53 Stations of the Tokaido", designed by Hiroshige in the 1830s.

The print you see here is a reproduction version produced in the post-war period by one of the numerous publishing houses working at that time (Adachi, Takamizawa, Yuyudo, Bijutsu-sha, Yamada Shoin, Kyoto Hanga-in, etc.) Here at Mokuhankan we have a wide selection of such prints, far too many to scan and prepare for the website one by one.

We don't always have every print in this series in stock, but try to keep as many of them available as possible. The one you see in this photo is on hand, but feel free to contact us about other designs in this series that you don't see on the site ...

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Image information: Miya was one of the largest stations along the Tokaido. This is Uma-oi, a horse chasing scene of the Shinto festival held on May 5th at Atsuta Shrine, dedicated to praying for a good harvest.

It is obvious that two groups - in each group a horse and people running alongside - are competing. In either group, two men are running before the horse and a few men holding a stick seemingly to drive the horse to run faster. The object being pulled at the end of ropes are not drawn and we wonder what they are? Are those objects Mikoshi, portable shrines?

The tall shrine gate drawn on the right is very impressive and makes the composition very attractive. To portray this night scene, Hiroshige used black for sky and ground with bokashi gradations and added bonfires. Locals and travelers are observing the fascinating event.

This must have been a very animated and vigorous but dangerous event - and is not held anymore.

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