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.

Distant View of the Kamakura Mountains from the Rest House by the Boundary Tree at Hodogaya - Handsome original Hiroshige view of teahouses overlooking a valley with the Kamakura mountains in the distance. Travelers relax on benches under the thatched roofs, colorful red lanterns hanging from the eaves, and porters stand beside their palanquins. Fine shading in the sky and mountains, which are softly edged in black as evening falls.

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. Wormhole, repaired. Slight curling, a few creases, light horizontal and vertical lines where backing papers meet. Please see photos for details.