Hiroshige's Okabe
Title: Okabe
Artist: Ando Hiroshige (active ca. 1790-1823)
Series: The 53 Stations of the Tokaido (Kyoka series - each print has a comic poem or Kyoka)
Signature: Hiroshige ga
Dated: originally in Edo period (late 1830's), this is a re-carved edition in 1920's
Format: Chuban yoko-e
Width: 24.5 cm Height: 18.5 cm
The station of Okabe was known for its steep and narrow pass through the mountains. Hiroshige’s landscape highlights the dramatic natural environment that travellers of the Edo period had to navigate. This re-carved edition from the 1920s preserves the atmospheric depth and intricate woodcut details that made Hiroshige a household name across Japan. The inclusion of the Kyoka poem at the top of the print adds a layer of intellectual wit that was highly prized by the urban merchant class of 19th-century Japan.
