Ando Hiroshige

One of the last great Edo-period print artists, Utagawa (born Ando) Hiroshige was born in Edo in 1797. At the age of fourteen, he enrolled in the Utagawa School as an apprentice to Utagawa Toyohiro, under whom he studied traditional painting techniques. Although Hiroshige had dabbled in actor prints, bijin-ga, and narrative illustrations, it was the majestic landscape of Japan that truly captivated his artistic spirit.

In 1831 he published the series Famous Views of the Eastern Capital. The following year, inspired by the success of Katsushika Hokusai's Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji, Hiroshige took an extended trip to the ancient capital of Kyoto. Along his journey, Hiroshige produced a print series depicting travel stations along the Tokaido highway, which he published in 1834. Hiroshige utilized stylistic elements, both classical and modern: In Kuwana Shichiri Watashiguchi (1834), for example, Kuwana castle is depicted in dark gray and white, whereas the trees in the background are treated in the manner of monochrome prints. The left half of the print, however, has a distinctly Western feeling with a tilted ground plane that disappears with the horizon. Hiroshige also combined his lyrical views of the countryside with humorous depictions of townsfolk and local customs. With innovative techniques and lighthearted charm, Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido was a massive commercial success. So popular was his series, that Utagawa Hiroshige's reputation nearly eclipsed that of Hokusai.

From 1834 until his death in 1858, Utagawa Hiroshige continued to produce select landscape prints: stations along the Tokaido-Kisokaido highways, the Mt. Kiso inland highway, and famous views around Kyoto and Edo. Such idyllic, romanticized landscapes continue to inspire generations of landscape artists centuries after his death.