Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige 広重 (1797-1858)
Title: The Road Below the Rakan Temple in Buzen Province 豊前 羅漢寺下道 (Buzen rakandera shitamichi)
Series: 60-odd Famous Views of the Provinces 六十余州名所図会
Date: 12/1854
Rakan Temple was located in the mountains of Buzen Provence along a famous pilgrimage route. The caves beneath the mountains contained many Rakan (disciples of Buddha) statues. We see pedestrians making their way along this improbable road that has been hollowed out along the riverbank. beneath the shoulders of steep cliffs. Hiroshige has chosen a dramatic earthy orange color for the cliffs, which fade then to yellow, then green, and then to brown at the top. On the near shore is a single figure walking a much less claustrophobic route along the river, out in the open.
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. With three large, clean margins and a heavy layer of deluxe mica on all of the terrestrial areas of the print.
References: See “Hiroshige’s Journey in the 60-Odd Provinces” (2004), page 150, number 61. See museum collections of MFA, Chazen, MET and Honolulu Academy of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Dimensions: ôban (36.5 x 25.3 cm) Publisher:Koshimuraya Heisuke
Signature: Hiroshige ga
SKU: HIR567
