Hiroshige's Sakanoshita
Title: Sakanoshita
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
Sakanoshita offered one of the most famous views on the Tokaido road: the rugged "Fudesute-yama" (Mountain of the Thrown-Away Brush), so beautiful that an artist supposedly threw his brush away in frustration. This re-carved edition from the 1920s beautifully captures the grandeur of the cliffs and the winding mountain path. Hiroshige was the absolute master of landscape prints, and this work perfectly represents his ability to turn a simple journey into a profound visual experience.
