A dazzling reprint of Hiroshige's views of Edo (modern-day Tokyo), one of the masterpieces of the ukiyo-e woodblock tradition and a paradigm of the Japonisme that inspired Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Art Nouveau artists, from Vincent van Gogh to James McNeill Whistler.

Reproduces 200 prints by the most important and prolific Japanese artists of the 19th century.

Fifty charming pencil, ink, and watercolor drawings by a nineteenth-century master depict diverse but complementary aspects of Japanese art and imagination. Drawn from two rarely circulated, seldom-seen sketchbooks, these images include scenes from everyday life, rendered with expressive elegance, and episodes from classic folktales, portrayed with warm realism. Best known for his woodblock prints, Hiroshige (1797–1858) recaptured the magic of the Japanese landscape in the course of his travels throughout the country. These sketchbooks date from around 1840, when the artist was at the height of his talent and popularity. Their unique and intimate glimpses of Japan before it opened to the West—of courtesans in traditional costumes, peasants at work, serene landscapes, animals, and episodes from Kabuki drama—offer delightful souvenirs of the late Edo period and form an engaging, accessible introduction to the complex traditions of Japanese art.

Come on the journey from Edo, modern day Tokyo, to Kyoto, as experienced by Utagawa Hiroshige in, when he travelled the Tokaido road to participate in 1832 an important procession in Kyoto. There were 69 post stations along this other, parallel road over the mountains, apart from the start and terminus, in all 70 prints, which are all here in the order from Edo to Kyoto, but one station has two prints, so in total 71 prints in the Nakasendo. These were the most popular print series ever made in Japan. They were even more popular than Hokusais series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which had been recently published and which had influenced Hiroshige tremendously. It is possible to travel the same road today and some villages are still looking quite like they did back then. The postal stations were constructed between 1601 and 1624.

A major publication on Hokusai's remarkable late work, incorporating fresh scholarship on the sublime paintings and prints the artist created in the last thirty years of his life

The Japanese woodblock print is a phenomenon with no Western equivalent, one where breathtaking landscapes exist alongside blush-inducing erotica; where demons and otherworldly creatures torment the living; and where sumo wrestlers, kabuki actors, and courtesans are rock stars. This condensed edition lifts the veil on a much-loved but little-...