Offers a comparative study of representations of the Tôkaidô road, the most important route of Japan during the Edo (1600-1868) and Meiji (1868-1912) eras.

For the first time in an English language edition published outside Japan, all 55 prints of Hiroshige’s ‘Fifty-three Stages of the Tokaido’ are reproduced in full colour, supporting a detailed and intriguing account of the author's rediscovery on foot of the historic 303-mile road from Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto. Remarkably, the Old Tokaido can still be found in many locations and photographs of the modern parallel the old.

This classic Japanese story of humor and adventure is available here for the first time in digital format. A pair of irrepressible scoundrels are the heroes of this madcap chronicle of adventure, full of earthy humor, along the great highway from Tokyo to Kyoto. The lusty tale of their disreputable doings is Japan's most celebrated comic novel. Shank's Mare was originally issued serially beginning in 1802, and was so successful that the author wrote numerous sequels, appearing year by year, until 1822. This novel portrays all the varied colors in Japan's Tokugawa era and its humor typifies the brash and devil-may-care attitude of the residents of Tokyo, both then and now.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi was the most influential and prolific woodblock print artist of Meiji Japan. This book presents his masterpiece: the wildly popular One Hundred Aspects of the Moon. The series was begun in 1885 and completed just before the artist's death in 1892. New designs were eagerly awaited, with editions selling out before dawn on the day of publication. The introduction of this book comprehensively treats the artist's life and work. Each of the one hundred images in the series is shown here in full color. The Tokaido gojusan tsui, created in 1845, is one of the most well-known and fascinating examples of woodblock prints inspired by the road.

"Presented alongside Hiroshige's prints, with descriptions and context, Delord's work offers an absorbing contemplation of Japan's past and present via one legendary travel route, and shows how thoroughly upended our surroundings have been in what was, in wider perspective, only a short time." -- The New York Times Journey along the famed Tokaido Road--an ancient thoroughfare with a modern twist. The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido is the best-known work of the great 19th century Japanese woodblock artist Utagawa Hiroshige. The series of 53 masterful woodblock prints depicts stops along the ancient Tokaido Road--which, from the eleventh to the nineteenth century, was the main thoroughfare between Tokyo and Kyoto. Though the road itself is now submerged under Japan's twenty-first-century urban landscape, French artist Philippe Delord set out to see if he could find the original locations, with just a moped, sketchbook, watercolors and a book of Hiroshige's prints. Hiroshige's Japan allows readers to make the journey alongside Delord, venturing from Tokyo and Mount Fuji to mountain passes and rugged coastlines. Inside are all 53 original scenery prints made by Hiroshige, alongside their modern-day equivalent by Delord. A lively commentary about his experiences as he tries to locate each of the 53 scenes (without speaking Japanese!) offers readers an insightful, and often humorous, look into both modern and historical Japan. Part travelogue, part work of art, this book is sure to delight armchair travelers, history buffs, art enthusiasts and Japanophiles alike!