Morning View of Nihon Bridge, no. 1 from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō
Artist/Maker
Utagawa Hiroshige I 初代目歌川広重
(Japanese, 1797–1858)
Publisher
Tsuruya Kiemon 鶴屋喜右衛門
Date1834
MediumColor woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
DimensionsHorizontal ōban; overall: 9 5/8 × 14 1/4 in. (24.4 × 36.2 cm)
Credit LineMary A. Ainsworth Bequest
PortfolioFifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojusantsugi no uchi)
Object number1950.788
Status
Not on viewThis is the first print in Hiroshige’s masterpiece, the Hōeidō edition of The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō. Nihonbashi, or the Japan Bridge, was considered the starting point of all five highways connecting Edo with the rest of the country. A morning glow in the sky forms a backdrop for the procession of a daimyo, or lord, as it begins to cross the bridge. Street vendors with fish or vegetables slung on their poles scramble to get out of the way. This scene representing many “beginnings”—of the day, of stately departure, and of stocking up for business— makes a fitting opening for the series.
Exhibition History
Hiroshige's Tokaido Prints: Views of Nineteenth-Century Japan
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (March 25, 1997 - June 9, 1997 )
Ukiyo-e Prints from the Mary Ainsworth Collection
- Chiba City Museum of Art, Chiba, Japan (April 13, 2019 - May 25, 2019 )
- Shizuoka City Museum of Art, Shizuoka, Japan (June 8, 2019 - July 28, 2019 )
- Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, Osaka, Japan (August 10, 2019 - September 29, 2019 )
Ukiyo-e Prints from the Mary Ainsworth Collection
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (January 14, 2020 - December 6, 2020 )
Collections
- Asian
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