Lot 364
Utagawa Hiroshige (1979-1858) and Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III, 1786-1865), Biwa-Hoshi Near Maisaka, Circa 1854-1857
Lot 364 Details
Utagawa Hiroshige (1979-1858) and Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III, 1786-1865), Biwa-Hoshi Near Maisaka, Circa 1854-1857
No. 31 from the series 'Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido by Two Brushes'; colour woodblock print, framed
image 14.4 x 9.8 in — 36.5 x 25 cm
Estimate $300-$500
Additional Images
Provenance:
Sakai Co., Ltd (Established in 1874), according to the label
Note:
This unique series of prints took the well-depicted subject of the Tokaido road from Kyoto to Edo (modern-day Tokyo), and combined the artistic accomplishment from the two ukiyo-e masters Utagawa Hiroshige I and Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) for a novel collaborative series of woodblocks. Each print in the series depicts a bordered landscape by Hiroshige on the upper portion of the sheet, while figures designed by Kunisada are set in the foreground.
The current print depicts three blind 'biwa-hoshi', or lute priests, traveling performers with a view of Lake Hamana from Maisaka station. The role of biwa-hoshi was typically reserved for the blind, and their work in reciting vocal literature to the accompaniment of lute music was crucial for preserving pre-Meiji period oral history.