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Hiroshige & Eisen. The Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaido
The Kisokaidō 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 arduous passage between Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Kyoto. Inns, shops, and restaurants were established to provide sustenance and lodging to weary travelers. In 1835, renowned woodblock print artist Keisai Eisen was commissioned to create a series of works to chart the Kisokaidō journey. After producing 24 prints, Eisen was replaced by Utagawa Hiroshige, who completed the series of 70 prints in 1838.
Both Eisen and Hiroshige were master print practitioners. In The Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaidō, 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 glamorous women, and relishes snapshots of activity along the route, from shoeing a horse to winnowing rice. Hiroshige demonstrates his mastery of landscape with grandiose and evocative scenes, whether it’s the peaceful banks of the Ota River, the forbidding Wada Pass, or a moonlit ascent between Yawata and Mochizuki.
Taken as a whole, The Sixty-Nine Stations collection represents not only a masterpiece of woodblock practice, including bold compositions and an experimental use of color, but also a charming tapestry of 19th-century Japan, long before the specter of industrialization. This TASCHEN XXL edition revives the series with due scale and splendor. Sourced from the only-known set of a near-complete run of the first edition of the series, this legendary publication is reproduced in optimum quality, bound in the Japanese tradition and with uncut paper. A perfect companion piece to TASCHEN’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, it is at once a visual delight and a major artifact from the bygone era of Imperial Japan.
The editor and author
Andreas Marks studied East Asian Art History at the University of Bonn and obtained his PhD in Japanese studies from Leiden University with a thesis on 19th-century actor prints. From 2008 to 2013 he was director and chief curator of the Clark Center for Japanese Art in Hanford, California, and since 2013 has been Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese and Korean Art, Japanese and Korean Art Department Head, and director of the Clark Center for Japanese Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
The author
Rhiannon Paget studied at Tokyo University of the Arts and received her doctorate in Japanese Art History from the University of Sydney, Australia. The curator of Asian art at the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, she has published research on Japanese woodblock prints, textiles, board games, and nihonga.
Both Eisen and Hiroshige were master print practitioners. In The Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaidō, 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 glamorous women, and relishes snapshots of activity along the route, from shoeing a horse to winnowing rice. Hiroshige demonstrates his mastery of landscape with grandiose and evocative scenes, whether it’s the peaceful banks of the Ota River, the forbidding Wada Pass, or a moonlit ascent between Yawata and Mochizuki.
Taken as a whole, The Sixty-Nine Stations collection represents not only a masterpiece of woodblock practice, including bold compositions and an experimental use of color, but also a charming tapestry of 19th-century Japan, long before the specter of industrialization. This TASCHEN XXL edition revives the series with due scale and splendor. Sourced from the only-known set of a near-complete run of the first edition of the series, this legendary publication is reproduced in optimum quality, bound in the Japanese tradition and with uncut paper. A perfect companion piece to TASCHEN’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, it is at once a visual delight and a major artifact from the bygone era of Imperial Japan.
The editor and author
Andreas Marks studied East Asian Art History at the University of Bonn and obtained his PhD in Japanese studies from Leiden University with a thesis on 19th-century actor prints. From 2008 to 2013 he was director and chief curator of the Clark Center for Japanese Art in Hanford, California, and since 2013 has been Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese and Korean Art, Japanese and Korean Art Department Head, and director of the Clark Center for Japanese Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
The author
Rhiannon Paget studied at Tokyo University of the Arts and received her doctorate in Japanese Art History from the University of Sydney, Australia. The curator of Asian art at the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, she has published research on Japanese woodblock prints, textiles, board games, and nihonga.
- GenresArtJapanNonfiction
234 pages, Japanese binding in clothbound box
Published August 15, 2017
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About the author
Hiroshige Utagawa
158 books4 followersborn 1798
Japanese artist Ando Hiroshige captured the serenity of landscape of his country with his superbly composed color woodblock prints, including Fifty-three Stages of the Tokaido (1832).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshige
Japanese artist Ando Hiroshige captured the serenity of landscape of his country with his superbly composed color woodblock prints, including Fifty-three Stages of the Tokaido (1832).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshige
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 26, 2017
--From Edo to Kyoto: Embarking on a Journey of Adventure, Andreas Marks
--Plates: The Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaidō, and Commentaries
Appendix:
Facts on the Stations and Colour Variations
Colour Variations
Sources and Preparatory Sketches
The Kisokaidō Series of the Georges Leskowicz Collection
Notes
Acknowledgements / The Authors
Bibliography
Photo Credits
Imprint
--Plates: The Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaidō, and Commentaries
Appendix:
Facts on the Stations and Colour Variations
Colour Variations
Sources and Preparatory Sketches
The Kisokaidō Series of the Georges Leskowicz Collection
Notes
Acknowledgements / The Authors
Bibliography
Photo Credits
Imprint
September 19, 2025
I can't imagine why anyone would give 3 stars let alone 2 stars!? And with no review or clue as to why? it is a magnificent book and though I'm not a huge fan of Eisen it gives me insight to Hiroshige and the whole print industry of Japan. as with every Taschen publication I have the quality of images, paper and overall craftsmanship is stunning!
December 8, 2023
A superb book all round. Beautifully produced though a little troublesome to read. Great essays and analysis of the scenes. Lot of very useful information. The reproduction of the plates was superb. A joy all round.
April 19, 2019
Sangat ingin ini. Tapi harganya masih dipikirkan hiks
July 9, 2024
Un libro muy bien elaborado que nos muestra hermosas vistas desde el éxodo hasta kyoto
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews