Who painted 東海道五十三次沼津|Numazu?

東海道五十三次沼津|Numazu was painted by Utagawa Hiroshige in 1840.

Where can I see 東海道五十三次沼津|Numazu?

東海道五十三次沼津|Numazu is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is 東海道五十三次沼津|Numazu?

東海道五十三次沼津|Numazu is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

東海道五十三次沼津|Numazu

Utagawa Hiroshige , 1840

東海道五十三次沼津|Numazu is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Utagawa Hiroshige. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created around 1840 by Utagawa Hiroshige, this woodblock print is one panel of his celebrated series illustrating the fifty-three post stations along the Tōkaidō route. Executed with ink and color on paper, the image captures a stretch of the coastal settlement of Numazu, presenting a broad, horizontal composition that emphasizes the expansive landscape.

Subject & Meaning

The scene foregrounds a gently undulating plain traversed by a winding road, punctuated by a few diminutive travelers on foot or horseback. Beyond the road, a steep mountain rises, its slopes rendered in layered grays, while clusters of dark‑green foliage frame the view. A pale sky tinged with soft pink at the horizon suggests early morning light, underscoring a tranquil, itinerant atmosphere.

Technique & Style

Hiroshige employs bold contour lines and simplified forms to delineate depth, allowing the distant mountain to recede through subtle tonal gradations.

Hiroshige employs bold contour lines and simplified forms to delineate depth, allowing the distant mountain to recede through subtle tonal gradations. Cross‑hatching creates delicate shadows on the terrain, while the limited color palette—muted earth tones with a touch of pink—enhances the scene’s atmospheric quality. The horizontal format, typical of his travel prints, guides the eye along the road’s perspective.

History & Provenance

Part of the series *The Fifty‑three Stations of the Tōkaidō*, the print was produced in the late Edo period, a time when Hiroshige shifted his focus from urban pleasure districts to the natural and infrastructural landscapes of Japan. The work was originally printed in multiple copies for the commercial market and later entered museum collections as a representative example of Edo‑period ukiyo‑e travel imagery.

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.