Object number1987.21.2

Mishima

Portfolio/Seriesfrom the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Gyosho Tokaido)

Dateca. 1845

Artist Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重) (Japanese, 1797-1858)

CultureJapanese

MediumWoodblock print (nishiki-e): ink and color on paper

DimensionsImage: 7 7/8 x 12 5/8 in. (20 x 32 cm)
Sheet (Horizontal aiban): 9 1/16 x 13 3/8 in. (23 x 34 cm)

Credit LineGift of Celia Faulkner Clevenger, class of 1958

Period19th c (Edo Period)

Classification(s)

SignedOn recto, signed lower right, in block: 広重画 (Hiroshige ga)

InscribedOn recto, upper right, in block:「東海道五十三次之内」Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road On recto, top left off center, in block:「三島」Mishima

Vassar Exhibitions

Bunmei Kaika: Political Landscape in Early Modern and Modern Japan

Label TextThis depiction of Mishima, one of the many post stations along the Tōkaidō, provides insight into the role that these locations served during the Edo period. The Tokugawa shogunate arranged for daimyo to reside in castles neighboring the Tōkaidō, requiring them to serve as outposts for the shogunate and to monitor the surrounding areas. In towns and cities designated as post stations, a winding road prohibited travelers from moving through city centers, often passing instead through mercantile districts. Post stations also served as sites of respite. Travelers were permitted to rest at a station for one night and eat at one of its restaurants or tea houses as shown in Mishima, before resuming their journey.

Terms

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu