{"product_id":"hiroshige-eisen-the-sixty-nine-stations-along-the-kisokaido-40th-ed","title":"Hiroshige \u0026 Eisen. The Sixty-Nine Stations Along the Kisokaido. 40th Ed","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe 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 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003earduous passage between Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Kyoto\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Inns, shops, and restaurants were established to provide sustenance and lodging to weary travelers. In 1835, renowned woodblock print artist \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKeisai Eisen\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was commissioned to create a series of works to chart the Kisokaidō journey. After producing 24 prints, Eisen was replaced by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUtagawa\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eHiroshige\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, who completed the series of 70 prints in 1838.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBoth \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEisen and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eHiroshige\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewere master print practitioners\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. In \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Sixty-Nine Stations along the Kisokaidō\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\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 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eglamorous women\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and relishes \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003esnapshots of activity along the route\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, from shoeing a horse to winnowing rice. \u003c\/span\u003eHiroshige\u003cspan\u003e demonstrates his mastery of landscape with \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003egrandiose and evocative scenes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, whether it’s the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003epeaceful banks of the Ota River, the forbidding Wada Pass\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, or a moonlit ascent between Yawata and Mochizuki.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTaken as a whole, \u003cem\u003eThe Sixty-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 color\u003c\/strong\u003e, but also \u003cstrong\u003ea\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003echarming tapestry of 19th-century Japan, long before the specter of industrialization\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 this compact anniversary edition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHardcover, \u003cspan data-testid=\"book-details--dimensions\"\u003e15.6 x 21.7 cm, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-testid=\"book-details--weight\"\u003e1.19 kg, \u003c\/span\u003e512 pages\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Taschen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54931006226645,"sku":"9783836594875","price":890.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0604\/7262\/3317\/files\/HIROSHIGE_EISEN_KISOKAIDO_40_INT_3D_40782.jpg?v=1789292041","url":"https:\/\/stellenboschbooks.co.za\/products\/hiroshige-eisen-the-sixty-nine-stations-along-the-kisokaido-40th-ed","provider":"Stellenbosch Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}