Hakone: View of the Lake (Hakone, kosui no zu), from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road (Tokaido gojusan tsugi no uchi)," also known as the Hoeido Tokaido
c. 1833/34
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
24.8 × 36.5 cm (9 3/4 × 14 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
33884
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Hiroshige *Hakone: View of the Lake (Hak, kosui no zu)* is a captivating color woodblock print from his renowned series *Fifty-three Stations the Tokaido Road (Tokaido gojusan tsugi no uchi)*, also called the Hoeido Tokaido, around 1833–34. This iconic ukiyo-e series depicts the 53 post stations along the historic Tokaido route connecting Edo (modern Tokyo) to Kyoto, a vital coastal highway during the Edo period (1603–1868). Hiroshige, a master of the genre, immortalized these landscapes and traveler scenes, blending everyday life with poetic natural beauty. Printed in the large oban format (24.8 × 36.5 cm), this work exemplifies Hiroshige's innovative techniques in woodblock printing, where intricate carved blocks were inked in multiple colors and layered to achieve vibrant skies, misty atmospheres, and subtle gradients. The Hoeido edition, published by the Hoeido house, marked a commercial and artistic triumph, making Hiroshige's visions accessible to a wide audience of merchants, samurai, and commoners. Hakone's serene lake view captures the road's rugged mountain pass, evoking the journey's perils and wonders. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia department, this print highlights ukiyo-e's cultural role in preserving Japan's transient beauty, influencing later Impressionists like Monet and Van Gogh. A window into 19th-century travel and artistry, it invites us to wander the Tokaido anew.
About the Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige · 1826–1869
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), born Andō Tokutarō, was the last great master of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking and one of the most influential landscape artists in history. Born in Edo (modern Tokyo) into a low-ranking samurai family serving as fire wardens, Hiroshige transformed landscape printmaking into a poetic meditation on nature, weather, and everyday life. His revolutionary approac...