Artwork
東海道五十三次 御油|Goyu
東海道五十三次 御油|Goyu is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Utagawa Hiroshige. It dates from 1838 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1838, *Goyu* is one of the prints in Utagawa Hiroshige’s celebrated series *The Fifty‑three Stations of the Tōkaidō*. Executed in the traditional ukiyo‑e woodblock technique, the image uses ink and color on paper in a wide, horizontal format that emphasizes the breadth of the landscape along the historic road linking Edo and Kyoto.
Subject & Meaning
The scene captures a group of shirtless laborers balancing a long wooden pole as they cross a modest bridge. Behind them a drooping‑leafed tree leans toward a small thatched‑roof structure, while a tranquil stretch of water reflects a solitary red blossom drifting on its surface. The composition conveys the routine bustle of travel and work along the route.
Technique & Style
Hiroshige employs the ukiyo‑e method of carving separate blocks for each color, allowing subtle gradations of hue and fine line work. The print’s muted palette and careful rendering of atmospheric effects—such as the misty water and delicate foliage—exemplify his focus on landscape over the genre’s typical urban scenes.
History & Provenance
Born Andō Tokutarō in 1797, Hiroshige emerged as a leading figure of late Edo‑period ukiyo‑e, renowned for his travel prints. *Goyu* was produced as part of the original 1830s publication of the *Tōkaidō* series, which was widely distributed and later collected by both Japanese and Western audiences.
Context
The Tōkaidō road was the principal artery between the shogunal capital Edo and the imperial city Kyoto, dotted with post stations that facilitated commerce and communication. Hiroshige’s series documents these waypoints, offering a visual record of the landscape, architecture, and daily activities encountered by travelers in the early nineteenth century.
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.
