Station 19: Ejiri

Category

Library Item

Item no

16264

Title

Fifty-three stations by two brushes (Sohitsu gojusantsugi). Station 19: Ejiri

Description

In this print a woman is dressed in Chinese styled robes and is presented as the legendary Ho-o bird (Chinese fenghuang bird). Traditionally, the Ho-o bird was a composite of many different birds and had the tail of a peacock and the wings of a swallow. The bird was a good omen and was believed to appear in places blessed with peace and prosperity. The woman's purple robe, decorated with a Chinese pattern of white clouds, is fastened at the waist by a voluminous yellow belt. Loose ribbons of green fabric float around her head indicating that this character is a type of Chinese goddess.
Beneath the female Ho-o bird, Hiroshige has depicted a snow-capped Mount Fuji, a popular symbol of peace and good fortune.
Hiroshige's Ejiri print from the Hoeido series is very different in subject matter and instead depicts a view of the busy port of Miho and Mount Ashitaka. Kunisada and Hiroshige's Ejiri print is comparable to a series known as 'Tokaido Pairs' or '53 Parallels for the Tokaido Road' (Tokaido gojusantsugi hodogaya), a collaborative work between Hiroshige, Kunisada and Kuniyoshi that was published in the mid 1840s by Ibasen, Ibakiu and others.

Artist / maker

Kunisada I (Toyokuni III)

Engraver

Hori Take (Yokogawa Takejiro)

Date

1854

Size

36 x 24.8 cm

Type

Wood cut

Location

Art and Design Library

Further artist information:
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)
Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III, 1786-1865)
Signed:
Hiroshige ga (landscape)
Toyokuni ga (figures)

Censorship seal: Aratame
Further date information:
August 1854, (Tiger year, 8th month)

The subject matter of the 'Fifty-three stations by two brushes' series drew upon the popularity of Hiroshige's celebrated series 'Fifty-three stations of the Tokaido Road' (Tokaido gojusan tsugi no uchi); the earliest editions of which were produced between 1832 and 1834.
Both Kunisada and Hiroshige were pupils of the Utagawa School and collaborated together in order to produce a commercial hit with their 'Fifty-three stations by two brushes'. The series demonstrates Hiroshige's distinction as a landscape artist and Kunisada'a skill as a figurative artist. This series comprises of fifty-six designs (including the title page). Although there were fifty-three post stations, artists traditionally include Nihonbashi (where the Tokaido began) and Kyoto (the road's terminus). The late Edo-period audience who would have collected these lavish prints were able to make connections between the figures and the specific post stations along the Tokaido. Each character's relationship to a locality relies upon subtle references to well known legends and kabuki theatre plots. Hiroshige's original Tokaido series are also referenced in these prints.

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Related images

Related subjects

Animals > Birds > Birds

Clothing and dress > Accessories > Belts

Clothing and dress > Garments > Robes

Landscape > Land > Mountains

People > Adults > Women

Places > Asia > Japan

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