Pictures of Famous Places on the Fifty-three Stations (Vertical Tokaido) - Hiroshige's fantastic vertical Tokaido series was done in 1855 and represents a further evolution of his landscape design style, including some of his most modern designs. One of the striking features of this beautiful series was the vertical format, since the more common format for the landscape print was the horizontal. This unique approach allowed Hiroshige to experiment with the foreground and background contrasts that are typical of his work and seen in some of his other vertical landscape series. The concept for the vertical Tokaido grew out of the incredible popularity of the Hoeido Tokaido (his first Tokaido series). Hiroshige wanted to expand on the theme, as the public was very interested in his fascinating images of life and travels along the most important thoroughfare in Japan- the road from Edo to Kyoto. From the urban center of Edo, where the journey began, to the beautiful rural landscape of the provinces more far away, the series is a set of breathtaking illustrations of Edo period Japan.

Totomi Kites, a Famous Product of Fukuroi, 1855 - A beautiful design featuring the famous Totomi Kites of Fukuroi. Two kites fly high above the rice paddies, where workers pause to look up and enjoy the sight as they plant. The sky is beautifully shaded a deep blue at the top with a soft rosy glow along the horizon as the sun begins to set. A handsome scene from this series and a fine choice for a collector interested in kite images.

Artist - Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

Image Size - 13 3/8" x 8 3/4" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Two holes in margins, one hole in subject, repaired. Faint ink offsetting in margins. Please see photos for details. Nice overall.