Kyoto, No.55 In the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido c. 1833 – 34
This view of Kyoto is from Hiroshige’s most famous series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō Gojūsan-tsugi), which launched the genre of landscape woodblock prints. The best-selling series depicted the fifty-three stopping points where travelers could rest, eat and purchase souvenirs along the 323 miles of road between Edo (modern Tokyo) and Kyoto. It also included an image of Edo – the starting point of the journey from the point of view of Edoites like Hiroshige and the people who bought the prints – and of the final destination of Kyoto, the image shown here. This print depicts travelers on a wooden bridge leading into Kyoto, hills colored with dense autumn foliage in the distance. Having traveled the Tōkaidō Road himself, Hiroshige undoubtedly understood the joy and relief travelers felt when they reached the scenic ancient capital.
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