Comment - Beautiful design featuring the famous Tôtômi Kites of Fukuroi (Fukuroi Circular kite, Fukuroi no Maru-dako, 袋井の丸凧). The Fukuroi kite is to be seen in the upper left corner. Fukuroi is Station No. 28 of the Tôkaidô road. An Edo kite with his long tail ropes ("Edo-tako", "江戸凧") with the Japanese flag symbol, and an oval kite on the upper left, fly high above the rice paddies, where workers pause to look up and enjoy the sight as they plant. The sky has decent beautifully shaded "bokashi" in a deep blue at the top with a rosy glow along the horizon as the sun begins to set.

Series - "Famous Places on the Fifty-three Stations" (Vertical Tôkaidô, Tate-e Edition) - HIROSHIGE's vertical Tôkaidô series was done in 1855 and represents a further evolution of his landscape design style, including some of his most modern designs. One of the striking features of this beautiful series was the vertical format, since the more common format for the landscape print was the horizontal. This unique approach allowed HIROSHIGE to experiment with the foreground and background contrasts that are typical of his work and seen in some of his other vertical landscape series. The concept for the vertical Tôkaidô grew out of the incredible popularity of the Hoeido Tôkaidô (his first Tokaido series). HIROSHIGE wanted to expand on the theme, as the public was very interested in his fascinating images of life and travels along the most important thoroughfare in Japan- the road from Edo to Kyoto. From the urban center of Edo, where the journey began, to the beautiful rural landscape of the provinces more far away, the series is a set of breathtaking illustrations of Edo period Japan.

The Gyosho-, Reisho-, Jimbutsu-, and this Tate-e-Edition of "Famous Sights of the Fifty-three Stations" also contain kites from Fukuroi Station. For information about other Series of Hiroshige, refer to HIROSHIGE's "Tokaido" and other Series.


Artist - see Biography


Signature -  Hiroshige hitsu 広重筆, lower left, yellow cassette under circular censor's seal (Aratame, 改)


Publisher - Tsutaya Kichizô (蔦屋吉蔵), Kôeidô company (紅栄堂); seal lower left, under additional circular censor's seal (Ushichi, 卯七)


Image Size - 24.0 cm X  39.5 cm    (8 7/8" x 13 1/2") + margins as shown)


Condition - single sheet; nishiki-e (cloured woodblock); Vertical ôban; Tate-e (portrait)