Hiroshige's Fifty-Three Stations on the Tokaido (9784805320655)

Hiroshige's timeless masterpiece continues to captivate and inspire us to this day!

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) is one of the greatest masters of Ukiyo-e, the Japanese art of woodblock printing. This new collector's edition of his most famous print series, The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido (1833-1834), brings readers on an unforgettable journey from 19th century Edo (now Tokyo) to Kyoto across mountain passes and rushing rivers to picturesque inns and villages—in rainstorms, snowfall and shifting light. An enduring masterpiece that fascinated Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Frank Lloyd Wright and many others, it continues to captivate audiences today.

This book features high-quality, full-color reproductions of all 55 prints in the series, with Japanese-style watoji external threadsewn binding in an elegant slipcase. Each print is accompanied by an expert commentary from art historian Stefano Turina which explains the historical context of the scene, uncovering hidden stories and quiet details tucked away within Hiroshige's iconic landscapes, as well as his artistic mastery and use of color.


About the Author:
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) is one of the greatest masters of the ukiyo-e woodblock print — "Pictures of the Floating World" — that defined Japan's Edo period. While many of his contemporaries focused on the glamorous world of actors and courtesans, Hiroshige chose to capture the spectacular beauty of Japanese landscapes. He is estimated to have created some 8,000 works during his lifetime. His most famous series, The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido, depicts the epic 53-day journey between Edo and Kyoto, through different moments of the day and the changing seasons. His mastery of atmosphere and perspective deeply inspired European artists like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet, providing a bridge between the art traditions of East and West.

Stefano Turina is an art historian with a PhD in contemporary art history. His research focuses on artistic exchanges between Italy and Japan from the late 19th to the 20th century, with particular attention to Japonisme and Japanese art collecting in Italy. He has explored the presence of Japanese artists in Italy and Italian artists living in Japan in the 1950s and 1960s. His recent publications include A Quiet and Fervent Revolutionary: Lucio Fontana and Japan (forthcoming), Aiko Miyakawi: The Poetry of the Elusive (2024) and A Japanese Woman in Milan in 1874 (2021).