Hiroshige's Journey in the 60-Odd Provinces (Famous Japanese Print Series) [Paperback]

Marije Jansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2004 | ISBN-10: 9074822606 | ISBN-13: 978-9074822602

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) designed a series of 70 landscapes depicting the provinces of Japan between 1854 and 1856. It was the first of a number of sets from the highly productive years of his later life. The designs comprising, i>Famous places in the 60-odd provinces" ("Rokuju yoshu meisho zue") are taken from all corners of Japan. Designs published before this series had already depicted the famous routes between Edo and Kyoto, the Tokaido and the Kisokaido, and various well known locations such as the famous waterfalls, Lake Omi and the Jewel Rivers, but a series on such a grand scale devoted to the provincies was a novelty. It evidently met with critical acclaim as the publishers Koshimuraya Heisuke issued several editions. In this study, the author Marije Jansen briefly discusses Hiroshige's life and the formal aspects of this series. Jansen takes as her point of departure the set in possession of the German collector Gerhard Pulverer, which is generally acknowledged to be a superb example of a first edition, and compares this series to a number of other sets in public and private collections. The detectable printing variations in each design are carefully analysed, making this an indispensable tool for collectors.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Hotei Publishing (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9074822606
• ISBN-13: 978-9074822602
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #463,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Art

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent print series edition., March 17, 2007

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Parsa (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hiroshige's Journey in the 60-Odd Provinces (Famous Japanese Print Series) (Paperback)

There are too few book editions of the print series of Hiroshige. There are a few books featuring his "100 Views of Edo" such as the excellent one by Uspensky which I own; a smallish paperback version of the first edition of "53 Stations of the Tokaido" by Muneshige Narazaki; and a book featuring his early bird and flower prints. This book by Marije Jansen is a fine and welcome addition to the few books we have.
The book illustrates Hiroshige's "Rokujuyoshu Meisho Zue", "The Famous Views of Sixty-odd Provinces", meaning "more than sixty provinces". The prints featured are from the first edition set owned by Professor Gerhard Pulverer, and were once owned by Frank Lloyd Wright. The introduction features the ubiquitous biography of Hiroshige, followed by an overview of his well known landscape series, an overview of the Provinces series illustrated, a discussion of the format used, later editions of the series, and an explanation regarding the Pulverer prints.
After the introduction, there is a map of Japan showing the locations of every print in the series. The map, and the accompanying key on the opposite page, show that the prints were arranged geographically.
The main body of the book has explanatory text and images on the left hand pages, with a full page print from the series on the right. There are 70 prints. These include the table of contents print, 68 prints of the Provinces, and a print of the capital Edo (#17).
The author gives a brief explanation of each print and what it depicts. A great deal of research has been done on the historical, artistic, and literary background of each scene.
In the upper left of the text page there is factual information on the date, the censors, the block-cutter, and the publisher. The location of the various seals is explained for every print. At the bottom of every text page is a smaller version of the print keyed to a description of how later editions degraded in quality. These include things like poorer colors, missing colors, loss of wood grain, etc. There are usually 10-12 items described per print. This is invaluable for collectors and artists studying wood block printing.
Unlike his prints of the Edo and Fuji environs, and his Tokaido series, Hiroshige did not visit all the locations shown. He was one of the first Japanese landscape artists who actually did make prints from sketches of places he actually visited. It was customary for artists to use the sketches or verbal descriptions of others to make prints, and many of the prints in this series were taken from the guidebook "Sansui Kikan" by Fuchigami Kyokko (26 of the prints), as well as other sources. The prints are wonderful however.
The images are large and beautiful, and this book will give you many hours of enjoyment. You'll want to look through the prints again and again. I know I do.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ottimo, August 26, 2008

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Alessandra Ori "dama di akashi" (Venice, Italy) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hiroshige's Journey in the 60-Odd Provinces (Famous Japanese Print Series) (Paperback)

Ho trovato questo libro molto ben fatto.
Le riproduzioni sono bellissime e ognuna e' dettagliatamente ed analiticamente spiegata.
Lo consiglio vivamente

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, January 1, 2008

By 

Fydly "bookworm" (Easton, CT, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hiroshige's Journey in the 60-Odd Provinces (Famous Japanese Print Series) (Paperback)

Loved the selection and quality of the prints. Great as a gift to someone who is interested in the subject