Four Utagawa Hiroshige Woodblock Prints.

Color woodblock prints on paper from the celebrated series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, first published in 1833 by the Hōeidō publisher, a landmark work that established Hiroshige as the leading landscape artist of ukiyo-e; the group including views of Kyoto, Kanbara (two versions of the famous “Night Snow”), and Akasaka, each depicting scenes along the historic route between Edo and Kyoto, where travelers, seasonal atmosphere, and local life are integrated into vividly observed compositions. The Kyoto scene presents a bustling bridge animated by figures in transit, set against a distant mountain backdrop, conveying the vitality of urban movement, while the Kanbara prints emphasize striking visual contrasts, with figures moving in opposing directions across a snow-covered village, the interplay between dark sky and luminous snow creating both horizontal and vertical tension within the composition. The Akasaka print shifts to an interior setting, offering a glimpse of social life within a wayside establishment, enriching the narrative dimension of the series. Throughout, Hiroshige masterfully incorporates changing weather conditions—snow, light, and atmosphere—together with subtle temporal transitions, evoking a poetic sense of travel and the emotional resonance of journeying through landscape. Labels on the reverse of the frames indicate sale through Uchida Art Co., Ltd., Kyoto.

{Approximate dimensions: Kyoto H 7 3/4 inches x W 12 3/8 inches (19.7 x 31.4 cm); Kanbara (1) H 8 3/8 inches x W 13 5/8 inches (21.3 x 34.6 cm); Kanbara (2) H 7 5/8 inches x W 13 inches (19.4 x 33 cm); Akasaka H 8 inches x W 13 inches (20.3 x 33 cm)}

For additional information, please contact the Asian Art Department.