Artwork
木曽海道六拾九次之内 望月|Mochizuki Station
木曽海道六拾九次之内 望月|Mochizuki Station is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Utagawa Hiroshige. It dates from 1835 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1835, this woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige depicts the Mochizuki post‑station on the Kisokaidō, one of the sixty‑nine waypoints illustrated in his series of travel scenes. The composition presents a nocturnal landscape, with a winding dirt road flanked by dark trees and a moonlit sky, inviting the viewer into a quiet moment of travel.
Subject & Meaning
The image captures a small group of travelers moving along the road at night: a couple of figures with bundles, a lone pedestrian under an umbrella, and a horse‑drawn cart. The moon’s pale light filters through the canopy, illuminating the path and suggesting the perseverance of journeyers despite the darkness and recent rain, a common theme in Edo‑period travel literature.
Technique & Style
Hiroshige employs traditional ukiyo‑e woodblock methods, layering ink and color to achieve depth. Bold pigments in deep greens, blues, and browns define the foliage and wet ground, while delicate line work creates the shadows of the trees. The subtle gradations of moonlight across the sky and the reflective wet surface demonstrate his skill in rendering atmospheric effects.
History & Provenance
Part of the series "The Sixty‑Nine Stations of the Kisokaidō," the print was produced for the commercial market of Edo‑era travelers and art collectors. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the early twentieth century, where it remains a representative example of Hiroshige’s later landscape oeuvre.
Context
During the 1830s, Hiroshige turned his attention from the bustling pleasure districts of Edo to the quieter, more natural scenery along Japan’s highways. This shift reflects a broader ukiyo‑e trend toward depicting the country’s geography and the experience of movement, aligning with contemporary guidebooks and travel guides that popularized the Kisokaidō route.
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.
