Fuchū with a Distant View of the Abe River, no. 20 from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Gyōsho Tōkaidō)

Fuchū with a Distant View of the Abe River, no. 20 from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Gyōsho Tōkaidō)

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Utagawa Hiroshige

The Tōkaidō, or “eastern sea road,” was an important preindustrial roadway connecting Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Kyoto in Japan. Fifty-three official stations along the Tōkaidō offered places to stop for a meal, shop for supplies, enjoy local entertainment, and find lodging. This street scene offers a glimpse into everyday life in the station Fuchū. The central figure wearing white is a pilgrim. The red tengu mask he carries on his back suggests he is traveling to or from the Konpira shrine in Edo for a religious festival. Two women in the shop on the left are preparing mochi (rice cakes) in a large mortar. Working together in an alternating rhythm, one pounds the cooked rice with a giant mallet and the other quickly kneads the gummy dough.
Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige
(Japanese, 1797 - 1858)
Title
Fuchū with a Distant View of the Abe River, no. 20 from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Gyōsho Tōkaidō)
Date
ca. 1840-1845
Medium
Color woodcut
Dimensions
ca. 198 x 319 mm Overall
Credit
Bequest of John H. Van Vleck
Accession No.
1980.919
Classification
Prints
Geography
Japan

Related

By 1925, purchased in Japan by Frank Lloyd Wright; ca. 1926, acquired by The Bank of Wisconsin; 1928, sold to Edward Burr Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 1943, passed through inheritance to Edward’s son, John H. Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 9 January 1980, bequeathed by John H. Van Vleck to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Addiss, Stephen, Ed. "Japanese Ghosts & Demons: Art of the Supernatural." New York: George Braziller, Inc., 1985. p. 110, no. 66

  • Japanese Ghosts and Demons: Art of the Supernatural: Spencer Museum of Art, The University of Kansas, 6/13/1985–9/14/1986

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