Tokaido gojusantsugi, Pl.49
1868-1912
Travelers trudge up a steep, winding path in this classic ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Hiroshige, capturing the famous 'Sakanoshita' (Below the Slope) station of the Tokaido road. The scene shows figures leaning into the climb, framed by gnarled pine trees against a backdrop of rolling blue hills and a distant waterfall. Although Hiroshige died in 1858, this later Meiji-era edition (1868-1912) preserves his masterful ability to turn a grueling mountain climb into a serene, poetic landscape that essentially served as the ultimate travel guide for Edo-period Japan.
- Technique
- Woodblock print