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Station 39: Okazaki

Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), 1855, Wood cut
Station 39: Okazaki
Station 39: Okazaki
Station 39: Okazaki
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Category
Library Item
Item no
16286
Title
Fifty-three stations by two brushes (Sohitsu gojusantsugi). Station 39: Okazaki
Description
A young woman wearing a white headscarf to conceal her identity is depicted clutching the hand of an elegantly dressed young man. This is probably a scene of elopement from an unidentified kabuki play. Under the woman's head covering she wears decorative blue floral pins in her hair. The woman is dressed in a blue long sleeved (furisode) kimono with a pattern of pink cherry blossoms. This garment is fastened at the waist with a black obi belt that ties at the back. The man at her side wears a purple and white kimono patterned with his family's crest (kamon). The crest is associated with the Minamoto clan and is called Sasarindo; the design is comprised of bamboo leaves and gentian flowers. Both characters wear red underkimono and look around furtively as if trying to evade capture. The man clutches at the samurai sword tucked into his yellow obi belt sash.
In the background inset, Hiroshige depicts Yahagi Bridge spanning the Yahagi River, a distant view of Okazaki castle on the right and Mount Motoyama beyond. Hiroshige's 'Okazaki' edition for the Hoeido Tokaido series depicts a daimyo procession crossing Yahagi Bridge. Similarly, Okazaki castle and Mount Motoyama are visible in the distance in the Hoeido print. The subject matter of Kunisada and Hiroshige's edition of 'Okazaki' in the 'Fifty-three stations by two brushes' series is comparable to that of 'Tokaido Pairs' series' print. 'Tokaido Pairs' or 'Fifty-three parallels of the Tokaido' (Tokaido gojusantsugi), was a collaborative work produced by 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
1855
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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