Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Akasaka - 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: ¥ 6,000$ 50.00£ 43.50€ 50.50 [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 ...

* * *

Image information: For this station, Hiroshige depicted the common daily life inside an inn.

A fat and tall sotetsu (cycad) is placed in the center of the image with a Toro (stone lantern) behind it. This tree had been introduced to Japan several hundred years before this era. Because this tree’s shape was quite different from Japanese indigenous trees, it became popular as an exotic object.

On the far left, a man appears to have returned from the hot bath, with a tenugui (Japanese towel) over his shoulder. In front of him the sliding door is open, and we can see a man relaxing on the tatami mats and smoking with a Japanese pipe. A maid is bringing two dinner trays, and a blind masseur (anma) is beside her. In another room over on the right, two 'Meshimori Onna' (entertainers) are applying makeup.

This image conveys the lively atmosphere of an inn very well.

* * *

There are a few small spots on this print.

Browse thumbnail pages of various selections from the catalogue ...

Mokuhankan Publications:
general (104)   kacho-e (27)   landscape (54)   bijin-ga (19)   contemporary (17)   senshafuda (2)   yakusha-e (4)   HangaClub (70)   ebook (6)   miscellaneous (4)   8 Cats (4)   supplies (6)   [ Also see our Annual Gift Page ]

Partner Shops:
Kawase Hasui prints (12)   Yoshida family prints (48)   Doi Hanga prints (54)   Miyakodori prints (4)   Numabe Mokuhan prints (3)   Guest items (17)  

Mokuhankan Flea Market   (our 'antique' prints):
(All items)  general (78)   kacho-e (38)   yakusha-e (25)   landscape (130)   bijin-ga (113)   kuchi-e (0)   contemporary (4)   set (42)   books (3)    [ List of Recently sold items ]  [ Flea Market Matsuri ]