Hiroshige (1797 - 1858 )

Born in Edo as Tokutaro Ando, Hiroshige Utagawa grew up in a minor samurai family. His father belonged to the firefighting force assigned to Edo Castle. It is here that Hiroshige was given his first exposure to art: legend has it that a fellow fireman tutored him in the Kano school of painting, though Hiroshige’s first official teacher was Rinsai. Though Hiroshige tried to join Toyokuni Utagawa's studio, he was turned away. In 1811, young Hiroshige entered an apprenticeship with the celebrated Toyohiro Utagawa. After only a year, he was bestowed with the artist name Hiroshige. He soon gave up his role in the fire department to focus entirely on painting and print design. During this time he studied painting, intrigued by the Shijo school. Hiroshige’s artistic genius went largely unnoticed until 1832.

In Hiroshige Utagawa's groundbreaking series of Japanese woodblock prints, The 53 Stations of the Tokaido (1832-1833), he captured the journey along the Tokaido road, the highway connecting Edo to Kyoto, the imperial capital. With the Tokugawa Shogunate relaxing centuries of age-old restrictions on travel, urban populations embraced travel art and Hiroshige Utagawa became one of the most prominent and successful ukiyo-e artists. He also produced kacho-e (bird-and-flower pictures) to enormous success. In 1858, at the age of 61, he passed away as a result of the Edo cholera epidemic.

Hiroshige Utagawa’s woodblock prints continue to convey the beauty of Japan and provide insight into the everyday life of its citizens during the Edo period. The appeal of his tender, lyrical landscapes was not restricted to the Japanese audience. Hiroshige’s work had a profound influence on the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists of Europe: Toulouse-Lautrec was fascinated with Hiroshige’s daring diagonal compositions and inventive use of perspective, while Van Gogh literally copied two of Hiroshige's prints from the famous series, 100 Famous Views of Edo in oil paint.


Meiji Period Prints (1868-1912)

Meiji-period woodblock prints reflect an era of change. In 1853, the arrival of Commodore Perry’s black ships brought over 250 years of Japanese isolation to an abrupt end. The following year, as Japan engaged in international trade, Yokohama-e (Yokohama pictures) captured an influx of unfamiliar peoples, places and things entering Japan through Yokohama harbor. By 1868, the Imperial line attained control of the country under Emperor Meiji, terminating the feudal rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate and dissipating the culture of the floating world. Under the emperor, national modernization progressed rapidly. From Western-style clothes and pastimes, to exciting new inventions from overseas, Japan absorbed the massive influx of the foreign and developed a distinctly Japanese modern identity. While photography and lithography gained popularity at this time, the woodblock print continued to serve as a powerful medium. Meiji period artists made sense of a transitioning world with a familiar medium.

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Price

21001000

Artist

  • Bairei
  • Beisaku
  • Biho
  • Chikanobu
  • Chikuseki
  • Eizan
  • Gakutei
  • Gekko
  • Ginko
  • Hiroshige
  • Hiroshige II
  • Hiroshige III
  • Hoitsu
  • Hokkei
  • Hokusai
  • Ikeda, Terukata
  • Ikuhide
  • Keinen
  • Kiyochika
  • Kogyo
  • Koson
  • Koun
  • Kunichika
  • Kunisada
  • Kunisada III
  • Kuniteru
  • Kunitoshi
  • Kuniyoshi
  • Kyosai
  • Miyagawa, Shuntei
  • Nobukazu
  • Rinsai
  • Sadahide
  • Sadanobu
  • Saigetsu
  • Seiko
  • Shimazaki, Ryuu
  • Shimizu, Seifu
  • Shinsai
  • Sugakudo
  • Suzuki, Kinsen
  • Tadakiyo
  • Toshiaki
  • Toshihide
  • Toshikage
  • Toshikata
  • Toshimasa
  • Toshimine
  • Toyohiro
  • Yasuda, Shodo
  • Yoshifuji
  • Yoshiiku
  • Yoshikage II
  • Yoshimitsu
  • Yoshimori
  • Yoshitora
  • Yoshitoshi
  • Yoshitsuya II
  • Zeshin
  • Hasegawa, Kannosuke (Chikuyo)
  • Kaburagi, Kiyokata
  • Kajita, Hanko
  • Kokunimasa (aka Kunimasa V)
  • Mori, Shunkei
  • Watanabe, Seitei
  • Yukawa, Shodo
  • Mishima, Shoso
  • Suzuki, Kason
  • Takeuchi, Keishu
  • Fujikawa, Tamenobu
  • Tanigami, Konan
  • Terasaki, Kogyo
  • Tomioka, Eisen
  • Unsigned / Unknown Artist
  • Yamanaka, Kodo
  • Yushin, Ayaoka

Subject

  • Birds
  • Landscapes
  • Rain
  • Waterscapes
  • Winter

Period

  • 1800 - 1868 (Edo)
  • 1868 - 1912 (Meiji)

Medium

  • Woodblock Print

Size

  • Medium (ie. Oban)

3 Products

Filtered By: Hiroshige
Uraga in Sagami Province

Hiroshige

Uraga in Sagami Province

JPR-210049

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Fukagawa Susaki and Jumantsubo

Hiroshige

Fukagawa Susaki and Jumantsubo

JPR-111550

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Sudden Shower over Ohashi Bridge

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Sudden Shower over Ohashi Bridge

JPR-111532

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