Artwork
東海道五十三次之内 江尻 三保遠望|Distant View of Miho Beach from Ejiri
東海道五十三次之内 江尻 三保遠望|Distant View of Miho Beach from Ejiri is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Utagawa Hiroshige. It dates from 1834 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Utagawa Hiroshige’s woodblock print, created circa 1834, belongs to his celebrated series *The Fifty‑three Stations of the Tōkaidō*. The image presents the vista seen from the Ejiri post station, looking toward Miho Beach along the historic coastal route.
Subject & Meaning
The composition captures a broad river scene where small vessels cluster near a rocky shoreline dotted with modest structures. Beyond the water, layered mountain ranges rise in vivid blues, reds, and greens, suggesting a distant landscape that frames daily travel and commerce along the Tōkaidō.
Technique & Style
Executed with ink and color on paper, the print employs traditional ukiyo‑e woodblock methods. Hiroshige’s use of flat, saturated hues for the mountains contrasts with finer line work that defines the boats and bridges, creating depth through layered coloration rather than linear perspective.
History & Provenance
Issued as part of the *Fifty‑three Stations* series, the print circulated widely in Edo‑period Japan, serving both as a travel souvenir and a visual record of the route. Original impressions remain in several museum collections, reflecting the series’ broad distribution during the 19th century.
Context
Ejiri, a post town on the Tōkaidō, functioned as a hub for travelers moving between Edo and Kyoto. Hiroshige’s depiction emphasizes the interplay of natural scenery and human activity, illustrating the river’s role in transport and the surrounding topography that defined the journey.
Legacy
The image exemplifies Hiroshige’s influence on later landscape art, both within Japan and abroad, where his approach to color and composition informed subsequent generations of printmakers and painters interested in portraying everyday environments.
Artist & collection
Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川 広重) or Andō Hiroshige (安藤 広重), born Andō Tokutarō (安藤 徳太郎; 1797 – 12 October 1858), was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, considered the last great master of that tradition.
