Hiroshige tokaido prints

 

Landscapes: The 53 Stations of the Tokaido

Hiroshige first came to public attention in his mid-30s, with the publication of his Famous Views of the Eastern Capital (Toto Meisho) (1831), a series of landscape prints which were critically acclaimed for their composition and colour.

They are generally referred to as Ichiyusai Gakki (after the signature he gave them, "Ichiyusai Hiroshige"), in order to distinguish them from his numerous other sets of prints of Edo.

This print set was released about the time that he decided to become a full-time ukiyo-e artist, allegedly after seeing prints made by his contemporary, Hokusai.

As it was, 1832 was the year that Hokusai released some of his greatest paintings, including Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji and The Great Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa.

Coincidentally, 1832 was also the year that Hiroshige himself made his reputation, after being invited to join other Shogunal of