東海名所改正道中記（目録）

About this print

The eaves of a shop are crowded with signs and tags bearing the names of post stations, such as Nihonbashi, Shinagawa, Mariko, Okabe, Ejiri, Otsu and Saikyo. In front is a rickshaw seen from behind, with the words "Hiroshige gazu" (drawn by Hiroshige) on its backrest. On the stand to the right are a box, a Western umbrella and a large straw hat. The tag at upper right reads "Tokai Meisho Kaisei Gojusan Eki."

This print is the contents page of the series Tokai Meisho Kaisei Dochuki (Famous Places of the Tokaido, Revised Travel Guide), published in 1875 (Meiji 8) by the publisher Yamasei. The National Diet Library titles it Kaisei Gojusan Eki (The Fifty-three Stations, Revised). The 59 prints from Nihonbashi to Kyoto plus this contents page make 60 prints in all, and many of them show the new customs of the Meiji era, such as Western umbrellas and Western clothes.

The artist is thought to be Utagawa Hiroshige III. He was a pupil of the first Hiroshige, known for The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido, and took the name Hiroshige in 1865 (Keio 1). With the post station tags lined up at the shop front, the picture works like a map of the trip about to begin.

Glossary