Hiroshige & Eisen. The Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaido. 40th Ed.

Rhiannon Paget, Andreas Marks, TASCHEN

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English

Taschen
15 June 2024

Art & Architecture; Oriental art; History of art & design styles: c 1800 to c 1900; Prints & printmaking; Individual artists, art monographs; Animals & nature in art (still life, landscapes & seascapes)

Series: 40th Edition

The Kisokaido route through Japan was ordained in the early 1600s by the country's then-ruler Tokugawa Ieyasu, who decreed that staging posts be installed along the length of the arduous passage between Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Kyoto. Inns, shops, and restaurants were established to provide sustenance and lodging to weary travelers. In 1835, renowned woodblock print artist Keisai Eisen was commissioned to create a series of works to chart the Kisokaido journey. After producing 24 prints, Eisen was replaced by Utagawa Hiroshige, who completed the series of 70 prints in 1838.

Both Eisen and Hiroshige were master print practitioners. In The Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaido, we find the artists' distinct styles as much as their shared expertise. From the busy starting post of Nihonbashi to the castle town of Iwamurata, Eisen opts for a more muted palette but excels in figuration, particularly of glamorous women, and relishes snapshots of activity along the route, from shoeing a horse to winnowing rice. Hiroshige demonstrates his mastery of landscape with grandiose and evocative scenes, whether it's the peaceful banks of the Ota River, the forbidding Wada Pass, or a moonlit ascent between Yawata and Mochizuki.

Taken as a whole, The Sixty-Nine Stations collection represents not only a masterpiece of woodblock practice, including bold compositions and an experimental use of color, but also a charming tapestry of 19th-century Japan, long before the specter of industrialization. This TASCHEN volume is sourced from one of the finest surviving first editions and revives the series in our compact anniversary edition.

By: Rhiannon Paget, Andreas Marks
Edited by: TASCHEN
Imprint: Taschen
Country of Publication: Germany
Edition: Multilingual edition
Dimensions: Height: 217mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 1.032kg
ISBN: 9783836594875
ISBN 10: 3836594870
Series: 40th Edition
Pages: 512
Publication Date: 15 June 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Rhiannon Paget studied at Tokyo University of the Arts and received her doctorate in Japanese Art History from the University of Sydney, Australia. The curator of Asian art at the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, she has published research on Japanese woodblock prints, textiles, board games, and nihonga.

Reviews for Hiroshige & Eisen. The Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaido. 40th Ed.

Just leafing through the publication is a journey through a bygone era and a foreign culture. This is a book that can also be an inspiration for a hike in Japan on these very tracks. * Neue Zürcher Zeitung * A masterpiece of Japanese woodblock prints, an exquisitely designed illustrated book. * Kulturzeit * An incredible ticket to travel. * L’Express * Spectacular views, local delicacies, hot spring baths, and other more carnal pursuits. * The New York Times *