Station 26: Nissaka

Category

Library Item

Item no

16272

Title

Fifty-three stations by two brushes (Sohitsu gojusantsugi). Station 26: Nissaka

Description

In this print a woman dressed in a theatrical kimono stands before a rock from which water is spouting. The woman's long hair falls around her shoulders as she raises a bamboo ladle above her head. In kabuki theatre the portrayal of a woman with long untidy hair is used to indicate madness or the supernatural.
On the ground by the woman's feet lies a discarded blue kimono with a pink blossom design. The woman has slipped her arms out of the red and blue kimono that she is wearing and her yellow floral underkimono is visible. Her obi belts are loosely tied adding to the woman's dishevelled appearance. This layering of kimono fabric creates a colourful effect of pattern upon pattern. Upon her main kimono, roundels of white blossom are repeated against a blue Chinese lattice ground. The design of this material is combined with a red and white tie-dyed (shibori) star burst fabric.
In the background inset, Hiroshige depicts a hamlet at the foot of a mountain. The Japanese inscription on the print refers to the mountain trail known as 'Sayo no nakayama'. In Hiroshige's Hoeido series, the NIssaka edition shows travellers climbing up the steep Sayo no nakayama path. In this scene, a few people have stopped to inspect the 'yonaka ishi' or 'night weeping stone'. Legend describes how a large stone witnessed the murder of a pregnant woman on the Sayo no nakayama path, and how this stone miraculously began to weep. Kunisada's figure may have been inspired by this legend.

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:
December 1854, (Tiger year, 12th 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.

Exhibitions with this item

Other views of this item

Related images

Related subjects

Clothing and dress > Accessories > Belts

Clothing and dress > Garments > Kimonos

Homes > Residential buildings > Huts

Landscape > Land > Hills

Landscape > Landscape architectural facilities > Fountains

People > Adults > Women

Places > Asia > Japan

Option	Price
Digital FileElectronic file 72 dpi JPEG	£7.32(inc. VAT 20%)
Digital FileElectronic File 300 dpi TIFF	£37.20(inc. VAT 20%)
You can view and use digital images for personal and educational use. For more information, read our policy on image use. If you wish to use our images for commercial use, please contact us.