The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido - Hiroshige's fantastic Kisokaido series was designed in collaboration with Keisei Eisen in the mid-1830s. Comprised of seventy prints, Eisen contributed 23 images to the series, with Hiroshige providing the rest. This masterpiece series chronicles life along the Kiso Highway, the upper road along the mountains from Edo to Kyoto, mirroring the lower Tokaido. Hiroshige's Kisokaido landscapes maintain his typical balance between figures and nature, with masterful depictions of weather and seasons, and a number of especially lovely moonlit scenes. These poetic and atmospheric views offer a captivating vision of the beautiful and often dramatic countryside of Japan.

Sakamoto, Station 17 - Terrific view looking down on the main street of Sakamoto, the road lined with shops and restaurants on either side of a narrow central canal. Travelers crowd the path along this busy section of the Kisokaido Road near the dangerous Usui Pass. The imposing mountain looms on the horizon, its bulk dominating the composition against a clear blue sky. A nicely detailed design.

Publisher - Kajikawa Workshop (see margin seal)

Woodblock reprints - In the 20th century, artists and publishers collaborated to recreate famous woodblock prints for interested Japanese collectors and Westerners looking for rare designs. New blocks were made, and the prints were painstakingly printed by artisan printers in the same method as the 19th century originals - one block for each color. Woodblock reprints were an opportunity to collect and enjoy a famous design at a small fraction of the price of an original. They still are today.

Artist - Eisen (1790 - 1848)

Image Size - 8 5/8" x 13 1/2" + margins as shown

Condition - With excellent color and detail as shown. Please see photos for details. Good overall.