{"product_id":"hiroshige-eisen-the-sixty-nine-stations-along-the-kisokaido-40th-ed-by-rhiannon-paget-9783836594875","title":"Hiroshige \u0026 Eisen. The Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaido. 40th Ed.","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Kisokaido 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 travellers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1835, renowned woodblock print artist \u003cstrong\u003eKeisai Eisen\u003c\/strong\u003e was commissioned to create a series of works to chart the Kisokaido journey. After producing 24 prints, Eisen was replaced by \u003cstrong\u003eUtagawa Hiroshige\u003c\/strong\u003e, who completed the series of 70 prints in 1838.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBoth \u003cstrong\u003eEisen and Hiroshige were master print practitioners\u003c\/strong\u003e. In \u003cem\u003eThe Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaido\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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHiroshige 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTaken as a whole, the \u003cem\u003eSixty-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 colour\u003c\/strong\u003e, but also a \u003cstrong\u003echarming tapestry of 19th-century Japan, long before the spectre of industrialisation\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\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46833141907692,"sku":"9783836594875","price":62.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/27936883483553.jpg?v=1758438658","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/products\/hiroshige-eisen-the-sixty-nine-stations-along-the-kisokaido-40th-ed-by-rhiannon-paget-9783836594875","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}