Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Imasu from the 69 Stations of the Kiso Kaido

Size: 26.0cm by 38.0cm (10.24 in by 14.96 in) | Enlargement | Shipping Code: [L] ?

Designer: Ando Hiroshige

Era: Post-war | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: ¥ 8,000$ 58.00£ 47.25€ 56.25 [Item has been sold]

Description: 'The 69 Stations of the Kiso Kaidō' is a series of ukiyoe woodblock prints created by Keisai Eisen and Utagawa Hiroshige between 1834 and 1836. It depicts 69 stops along the Nakasendo, also known as the Kiso Kaidō, connecting Tokyo and Kyoto. You can view the entire series on this great website. (Although we haven't seen the rainy version of Oiwake reproduced in the post-war publications).

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Image information: Imasu lies at the boundary between the Mino Province to the east and the Omi Province to the west, marking a significant point along the journey.

Hiroshige’s composition captures the border post prominently along the main street of the station. A traveler pauses to read the inscription Eno Ryogoku Border (江濃両國境), while his companion leans down to light his pipe from a man seated outside a tea house on the left.

A notable detail is the sign hanging at the tea house entrance, promoting a cosmetic product known as “Sennjoko Goods,” manufactured by Mr. Sakamoto, a sponsor of this print series.

Further along the street, several travelers can be seen approaching from the opposite direction. The village is surrounded by tall stands of bamboo that peek between the thatched roofs of other houses. In the plain below, recently harvested crops create a vibrant contrast, with golden stacks of hay adding flashes of color against the deep green fields.

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