Artwork

Picture of the Tenryu River near Mitsuke (Station 29), from the series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido

Picture of the Tenryu River near Mitsuke (Station 29), from the series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido is a print by the Romanticist artist Utagawa Hiroshige. It dates from 1833 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1833 by the Edo‑period printmaker Utagawa Hiroshige, this woodblock print illustrates the Tenryu River as it passes the post town of Mitsuke, the twenty‑nineth station on the historic Tōkaidō route. The composition captures a quiet stretch of water framed by distant hills and a mist‑shrouded shoreline, offering a snapshot of travel and landscape along the coastal highway.

Subject & Meaning

The scene centers on a modest wooden boat carrying a man in a wide‑brimmed hat and blue garment, accompanied by a child kneeling with a pole. Their presence suggests a routine river crossing rather than a dramatic event, emphasizing the everyday rhythm of travelers and the serene environment that framed their journey.

Technique & Style

Hiroshige employs his characteristic horizontal format, allowing a broad view of sky, water, and land. Soft, muted pigments render the calm surface of the river and the fading light, while delicate line work defines distant trees and hills. The subtle gradations of tone create an atmospheric sense of mist and stillness, hallmarks of his landscape approach.

History & Provenance

Issued as the twenty‑ninth print in the celebrated series Fifty‑Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, the work was produced for commercial distribution in the early 1830s. Copies circulated among travelers and collectors throughout Japan, and the series later entered Western collections during the late nineteenth‑century Japonisme craze, where it contributed to the growing appreciation of ukiyo‑e abroad.

Artist & collection

Artist

Utagawa Hiroshige

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.