Artwork
歌川広重画 「東海道五十三次 大尾 京師 三条大橋」|Kyoto: The Great Bridge at Sanjō (Taibi, Keishi, Sanjō Ōhashi), from the series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi)
歌川広重画 「東海道五十三次 大尾 京師 三条大橋」|Kyoto: The Great Bridge at Sanjō (Taibi, Keishi, Sanjō Ōhashi), from the series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi) 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
Kyoto: The Great Bridge at Sanjō is a woodblock print from Utagawa Hiroshige's series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, created around 1834. It captures the final station of the Tōkaidō road, depicting the Sanjō Ōhashi bridge in Kyoto.
Subject & Meaning
The print portrays the bustling Sanjō Ōhashi bridge, teeming with people and carts, set against a backdrop of Kyoto's townscape, fields, and a distant, looming mountain. This scene marks the culmination of the Tōkaidō route.
Technique & Style
Executed in ink and color on paper in a horizontal format, the work showcases Hiroshige's use of tiny dots and lines to achieve texture, evident in the bridge's wood grain and the mountain's rocky edges, adding depth without heavy shading.
History & Provenance
Created by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), a renowned Edo period ukiyo-e artist, this piece diverges from the genre's typical urban themes, instead highlighting his mastery of landscape series.
Context
As part of Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, this print was part of a broader artistic movement documenting Japan's main thoroughfare, reflecting the period's interest in travel and regional connectivity.
Legacy
This work contributes to Hiroshige's legacy as a pioneer in ukiyo-e landscapes, influencing subsequent generations of artists with its unique blend of natural beauty and everyday life along the Tōkaidō.
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.
東海道五十三次 吉田|Yoshida, from the series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road
歌川広重画 東海道 十三 五十三次
沼津|Numazu, Number 13, from the series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi)
東海道五十三次 岡崎|Okazaki, from the series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road
東海道五十三次 京 三条大橋図|Kyoto: Sanju Ohashi no zu.
諸國名橋奇覧 山城あらし山吐月橋 |Togetsu Bridge at Arashiyama in Yamashiro, from the series Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces (Shokoku meikyō kiran)
東海道五十三次 宮|Miya, from the series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road
冨嶽三十六景 江戸日本橋|Nihonbashi in Edo (Edo Nihonbashi), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)