Hiroshige’s Fifty-three Stages of the Tōkaidō Remixed

The digital remix exhibition series carries on to another set of masterpieces of landscape ukiyo-e prints, Fifty-three Stages of the Tōkaidō by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858). Each print is a snapshot of the route that connects Nihonbashi in Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto, composed with varying factors of seasonal, meteorological, and temporal as well as natural conditions. This series of woodblock prints had a resounding success in the early 19th century, backed by the growing enthusiasm of the time for traveling.
The exhibition presents the complete series of 55 prints, combined with an original visual project of super-high-definition digital images created by the technical team of the museum. The digital content offers an unprecedented immersive experience into the world of Hiroshige’s ukiyo-e, offering glimpses of fascinating details of each and every scene. The exhibition also includes a series of digital photographs of what those Tōkaidō stations look like today.
Enjoy having another perspective on the journey through the Edo-period highway, enabled by the modern digital technology.

1. A complete set on display　 You can enjoy all 55 prints in one visit, following fifty-plus stations along the way. Each depiction offers scenic ingenuity expressed in different settings in terms of the time of day, weather conditions, seasons, and other elements. 2. Delving into the pictures through super-high-definition imagery The 55 highway stations are projected on a giant screen, offering an immersive experience by looking into the details of the printed images, thanks to the super-high definition imagery technology with a 150M pixel camera. 3. Trace Hiroshige’s journey in photographs The Edo-period portrayal of the highway stations is accompanied by digital images made along the same route, revisited by the digital production team. The museum’s original version of Tōkaidō emerges, encompassing the deep bosom of nature to urban built environment.

This is a set of 55 large-size woodblock prints, published in c. 1833. It was initially a joint publication between two printing companies, the Hoeidō (owner Takenouchi Magohachi) and the Senkakudō (owner Tsuruya Kiemon), but subsequently, the former took over the printing rights. The series is based on the theme of lodging stations along the major highway Tōkaidō, that connected Edo, the shogunate capital of the east, and Kyoto, the Imperial capital of the west. Hiroshige ingeniously incorporates the local customs, specialties, and other features representative of each location in his illustrations, with his skillful arrangements in terms of seasons, weather conditions, etc. These images inspired many townspeople of Edo for traveling. His attention to details extended even to the countenance and demeanor of the people he drew. The success of the Hoeidō edition brought Hiroshige the fame as a leading figure in landscape woodcut ukiyo-e. It was followed by two more versions of the Tōkaidō series and more than 20 designs in relation to the highway.

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), birth name Andō Tokutaro, was born in Edo as a son of the shogunate’s official fire brigade officer. He lost his parents young and joined the brigade in his father’s stead, but two years later, he stepped into the world of ukiyo-e at age 15, as he sought apprenticeship under ukiyo-e master Utagawa Toyohiro (1774–1830). He started out specializing in bijinga portraits, but subsequently he discovered his passion for landscapes as he published Famous Places of the Eastern Capital in c. 1831, a series that depicted some landmarks of Edo in vibrant colors. The following opus, the Fifty-three Stages of the Tōkaidō, made him a famous painter. His poetic compositions were marveled by many people, and he remained prolific throughout his career, subsequently producing One Hundred Famous Views of Edo and other famous works.