{"product_id":"hirosige-eisen","title":"Hirosige \u0026 Eisen","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Kisokaidō route through Japan was ordained in the early 1600s by the country’s then-ruler Tokugawa Ieyasu, who decreed that staging posts be installed along the length of the \u003cstrong\u003earduous passage between Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Kyoto\u003c\/strong\u003e. Inns, shops, and restaurants were established to provide sustenance and lodging to weary travelers. In 1835, renowned woodblock print artist \u003cstrong\u003eKeisai Eisen\u003c\/strong\u003e was commissioned to create a series of works to chart the Kisokaidō journey. After producing 24 prints, Eisen was replaced by \u003cstrong\u003eUtagawa Hiroshige\u003c\/strong\u003e, who completed the series of 70 prints in 1838.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBoth \u003cstrong\u003eEisen and Hiroshige were master print practitioners\u003c\/strong\u003e. In \u003cem\u003eThe Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaidō\u003c\/em\u003e, we find the artists’ distinct styles as much as their shared expertise. From the busy starting post of Nihonbashi to the castle town of Iwamurata, Eisen opts for a more muted palette but excels in figuration, particularly of \u003cstrong\u003eglamorous women\u003c\/strong\u003e, and relishes \u003cstrong\u003esnapshots of activity along the route\u003c\/strong\u003e, from shoeing a horse to winnowing rice. Hiroshige demonstrates his mastery of landscape with \u003cstrong\u003egrandiose and evocative scenes\u003c\/strong\u003e, whether it’s the \u003cstrong\u003epeaceful banks of the Ota River, the forbidding Wada Pass\u003c\/strong\u003e, or a moonlit ascent between Yawata and Mochizuki.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTaken as a whole, \u003cem\u003eThe Sixty-Nine Stations\u003c\/em\u003e collection represents not only a masterpiece of woodblock practice, including \u003cstrong\u003ebold compositions\u003c\/strong\u003e and an \u003cstrong\u003eexperimental use of color\u003c\/strong\u003e, but also \u003cstrong\u003ea\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003echarming tapestry of 19th-century Japan, long before the specter of industrialization\u003c\/strong\u003e. This TASCHEN volume is sourced from \u003cstrong\u003eone of the finest surviving first editions\u003c\/strong\u003e and revives the series in our compact anniversary edition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57394937692542,"sku":"NW9783836594875","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9783836594875.jpg?v=1778633178","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/en-usa\/products\/hirosige-eisen","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}