Japanese Ukiyo-e print – Utagawa Hiroshige – Hara Station – 53 Stations of the Tôkaidô – Taishō 1926

Ukiyo-e woodblock print. [Taishô era reissue (approx. 100 years old!) using traditional Ukiyo-e woodblock printing craftsmanship]

Print type: Fûkei-ga (landscape)

Series: The Fifty-three Stations of the Tôkaidô (東海道五十三次) Grand Tôkaidô version

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川 広重 (signed Hiroshige ga 広重画)

📅 Publication date: 1926 (15th year of the Taishō era)

📜 Publisher: Tôkyô Bijutsu Kyōkai (Tokyo Art Association), with publisher's seal in the print margin.
Original publisher Hôeidô (1833–34)

📏 Format: Ōban Yoko-e (approx. 36 × 25 cm)

Title: Hara 原 – No. 14 of The Fifty-three Stations of the Tôkaidô series
(東海道五十三次之内　原　朝之富士 / Asa no Fuji "Morning Fuji")

Origin: Japan, found in Tōkyō Prefecture.

Subject:

The print depicts the station of Hara, the 14th relay on the historic Tôkaidô road, located in the present-day Shizuoka Prefecture.

In this luminous morning composition, Mount Fuji majestically dominates the landscape. Its monumental silhouette, still enveloped in a soft morning light, rises above the surrounding plains and mountains. In the foreground, travelers advance on the Tôkaidô road, porters and passers-by walking peacefully in this vast natural setting. Japanese cranes punctuate the scene, adding a poetic and symbolic touch.

Hiroshige here stages one of his most impressive Fujis, highlighting the smallness of man in the face of the sacred mountain's grandeur. This print is considered one of the most iconic views of Mount Fuji in the Tôkaidô series.

Notable details:

Beautiful, authentic reproduction from the Taishō period, carefully produced by the Tokyo Art Association in 1926, accompanied by its distinctive seal.
Subtle gradients, great finesse in the printing of details (mountains, morning sky, figures).
This century-old print comes with an old photograph depicting a Tôkaidô station from that era, as well as a poetic literary text in Japanese evoking the atmosphere of the journey.

Condition:

➕ Paper and colors in excellent condition, very well preserved despite its age (~100 years).

➖ Slight natural signs of aging on the reverse, testifying to the work's authenticity.

🦝 Our opinion:

This print of Hara – Asa no Fuji by Hiroshige is simply magnificent; the impression is of very high quality and is one of the most famous in the 53 stations of the Tôkaidô series.
Mount Fuji is sublime, and we love seeing it extend beyond the print's frame.

Master Hiroshige shows us here that he had nothing to envy his elder Hokusai when it came to depicting Fuji-san! Superb!

Utagawa Hiroshige made his mark on the history of Japanese art with his poetic landscapes. Discover other creations by this artist in our selection of authentic Japanese prints.