Japanese woodblock print – Utagawa Hiroshige – Chiryū Station – 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō – Shōwa Edition

Ukiyo-e print, woodblock print. [Shōwa era reissue using traditional woodblock printing techniques]

🎨 Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 signed Hiroshige ga 広重画

Publication date: Shōwa period, mid-20th century. Original edition from 1833-1834, Edo period.

📜 Publisher: most likely Yūyūdō 悠々洞
Original publisher: Hōeidō / Takenouchi Magohachi 保永堂竹内孫八

Engraver: Matsuda Torazō 松田寅藏
Printer: Endō Tadao 遠藤忠雄

📏 Format: ōban yoko-e, approximately 33.5 x 22.5 cm

Series: 東海道五拾三次之内 (Tōkaidō Gojūsan Tsugi no Uchi): The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō
Version: Great Tōkaidō, also called First Tōkaidō or Hoeidō Tōkaidō

Title: 池鯉鮒 首夏馬市 (Chiryū, shuka uma ichi)
Station N°40 of the Great Tōkaidō series: Chiryū, horse market in early summer

Subject:

This print belongs to the famous series of The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, one of Hiroshige's great masterpieces. It depicts Chiryū-juku, an important stop on the old road connecting Edo to Kyōto, particularly known for its horse market held in early summer.

The scene is at once simple, lively, and full of charm. In the low grass, numerous horses are tied to stakes, while travelers, merchants, and passersby quietly cross the landscape. In the distance, a line of figures advances near a large pine tree, giving the image beautiful depth and a true sense of movement.

The composition is typical of Hiroshige's genius: the gaze naturally circulates between the horses in the foreground, the blue-green areas of grass, the human silhouettes, and the very gentle horizon. The large central tree structures the entire image, while the horizontal lines of the landscape give an impression of calm and space.

What makes this print particularly endearing is its atmosphere of daily life. Hiroshige shows not only a station on the Tōkaidō, but a precise, almost documentary moment: a rural fair, horses gathered, men traveling, an active and peaceful road all at once.

Through this scene of a horse market, we find all the spirit of Edo-period Japan: travel, post stations, commercial exchanges, open landscapes, and the small human scenes that make up all the poetry of great Japanese prints.

Condition:

Print in very good condition, with wide margins. Luminous colors, crisp impression, fine and pleasant Japanese paper, very good execution quality for a carefully done Shōwa reissue. Hiroshige ga 広重画 signature visible in the image. Mentions of the engraver Matsuda Torazō and the printer Endō Tadao visible in the right margin. A beautiful decorative and collectible copy.

🦝 Our opinion:

This Hiroshige print is truly magnificent! It has everything that makes the Great Tōkaidō beautiful: a lively scene, a peaceful landscape, travelers, and that unique way Hiroshige has of transforming an everyday moment into a poetic image. We love the presence of the many horses that give this print a unique atmosphere!

A very beautiful Shōwa reissue, most likely published by Yūyūdō, authentic and refined, ideal for ukiyo-e enthusiasts, collectors of Japanese woodblock prints, or simply lovers of Japanese art.