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.

Yajiro Mistakes Kitahachi for a Fox and Beats Him on the Nawate Road near Akasaka - Humorous scene featuring two characters from the popular novel "Tokaidochu Hizakurige" or "Shank's Mare Tokaido," which tells the comic adventures of two commoners from the city, Yajirobe and Kitahachi, as they travel along the famed Tokaido road in the early 19th century. Here, Yaji mistakes his friend Kita for a fox on the dark road, and starts beating him with his walking stick, to the astonishment of a fellow traveler. The road zigzags into the distance, past by tall pine trees and fields, with towards the village at center right. An amusing image with a wonderful, atmospheric setting, a crescent moon glowing in the night sky above.

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.