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.

Shrine to Noriyori at Ishiyakushi - Attractive spring view of Minamoto no Yoshitsune's famous cherry tree in full bloom at Ishiyakushi. Two farmers work in the fields on the right side of a canal, with a sluice gate at left to flood the farmland beyond. At right, red torii gates lead to shrine to Noriyori, a banner flying overhead. In the distance, a village nestles along the foothills of a mountain range. A charming design with fine bokashi shading.

Artist - Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

Image Size - 13 1/2" x 8 3/4" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with good detail as shown. Backed with paper. Some prints have a few spots or creases, or a light vertical line where backing papers meet. Curling. Please see photos for details.