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Station 3: Kawasaki

Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), 1854, Wood cut
Station 3: Kawasaki
Station 3: Kawasaki
Station 3: Kawasaki
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Category
Library Item
Item no
16389
Title
Fifty-three stations by two brushes (Sohitsu gojusantsugi). Station 3: Kawasaki (Sohitsu gojusantsugi)
Description
In this print, a female artisan sits behind a desk constructing boxes which are then decorated with coloured canes. The coloured boxes may be an example of the local produce sold at this point along the Tokaido.
She has covered her hair with a white headscarf that bears a blue butterfly design. The woman's kimono is grey with large purple flora motifs. She has used a red cord to tie back her sleeves while she works. The obi belt appears to be double sided, with a green and blue pattern on one side and a red small geometric design on the other. Seated next to the woman is a child who holds two of the coloured boxes. The child's red kimono is sleeveless and open at the front revealing a purple starburst undergarment.
The view that appears in the inset behind them is of boats crossing a river and Mount Fuji rising in the distance. This section of the Rokugogawa river (or lower Tamagawa river) could not be crossed by bridge and travellers were dependent upon boats to ferry them across.
Hiroshige's original Hoeido print titled 'Kawasaki: Rokugo Ferry', presents a close up view of travellers being punted across the river on a skiff in the direction of Kawasaki. A packhorse, a small village and Mount Fuji also feature in this print. In the 'Fifty-three stations by two brushes' series this activity has almost disappeared into the background, and the focus of the print has shifted to the woman and child who are pictured in the foreground.
Artist / maker
Kunisada I (Toyokuni III)
Engraver
Hori Take (Yokogawa Takejiro)
Date
1854
Size
36 x 24.8 cm
Type
Location
Art and Design Library
Rights and purchasing
Option
Price
Digital FileElectronic file 72 dpi JPEG
£5.80(inc. VAT 20%)
Digital FileElectronic File 300 dpi TIFF
£29.40(inc. VAT 20%)
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