Tsuchiyama, from the series "[Scenes of Famous Places on the] Tokaido (Tokaido meisho fukei)"

Art Historical Context

Created in 1863 by Utagawa Hiroshige II (also known as Shigenobu), *Tsuchiyama* belongs to his series *Scenes of Famous Places on the Tokaido*. This color woodblock print one of the fifty-three stations along Japan’s historic Tokaido highway, the vital route linking Edo (modern Tokyo) with Kyoto. As a pupil and adopted son of the celebrated Hiroshige I, the younger artist continued the master’s tradition of evocative landscape views that celebrated travel and seasonal beauty during the late Edo period. Printed in the oban format measuring roughly 37.7 × 25 cm, the work exemplifies the ukiyo-e technique of multi-block color printing, which allowed vibrant hues and subtle atmospheric effects to reach a wide audience. Such prints were both affordable souvenirs for travelers and admired works of art, reflecting Japan’s growing fascination with domestic tourism just before the dramatic social changes of the Meiji Restoration. Today housed in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Arts of Asia collection, *Tsuchiyama* offers viewers a window into mid-nineteenth-century Japanese culture—where art, geography, and everyday life intersected on the open road.

About the Artist

Utagawa Hiroshige II (Shigenobu) · 1826–1869

Utagawa Hiroshige II, born Suzuki Chinpei in 1826, was one of the most accomplished ukiyo-e artists of mid-nineteenth century Japan. He entered the studio of the celebrated landscape master Utagawa Hiroshige I — known for his iconic series "The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido" — and proved himself the most talented of the elder artist's few students. So highly regarded was the young pupil that...