Artwork
東海道五十三次之内 三島 朝霧|Mishima, Asa Kiri
東海道五十三次之内 三島 朝霧|Mishima, Asa Kiri 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
Created around 1834, this woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige forms part of his extensive series illustrating the fifty-three post stations along the Tōkaidō road. Executed in ink and color on paper, the image adopts the horizontal format characteristic of the series and presents a mist‑shrouded stretch of the highway.
Subject & Meaning
The scene captures three figures guiding horses along a foggy path, one of the animals burdened with a sizable bundle. The travelers are dressed in plain robes and wide‑brimmed hats, emphasizing the ordinary, itinerant life of those who traversed the route during the Edo period.
Technique & Style
Hiroshige employed the traditional ukiyo‑e woodblock process, carving separate blocks for line work and each color. His handling of tone and the subtle gradations of mist demonstrate his reputation for atmospheric landscapes, a departure from the genre’s earlier focus on bustling urban vistas.
History & Provenance
Produced in the late Edo era, the print was originally issued as a single sheet within the larger Tōkaidō series, which was widely circulated among travelers and collectors. Its survival in museum collections reflects the continued appreciation for Hiroshige’s contributions to Japanese printmaking.
Context
The Tōkaidō road linked Edo (modern Tokyo) with Kyoto, and its fifty‑three stations were popular subjects for artists seeking to document travel and scenery. Hiroshige’s series offered a visual guide to the journey, blending topographical detail with poetic mood.
Legacy
Hiroshige’s atmospheric approach influenced both Japanese and Western artists, shaping perceptions of landscape art beyond the 19th century. The print exemplifies his capacity to render everyday movement through nature with a nuanced sense of light and weather.
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.
