Hiroshige's Minakuchi
Title: Minakuchi
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
Minakuchi was the 50th station on the Tokaido, and Hiroshige’s composition often focused on the village life and the drying of gourds (kanpyo), a local specialty. This early 20th-century re-carved version highlights the artist’s knack for find beauty in the mundane and his exceptional use of perspective. Hiroshige’s prints remain the gold standard for Japanese landscape art, and this piece is an excellent example of his enduring contribution to the genre.
