Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)
Shinagawa: Sunrise
品川 日之出 · Shinagawa, hinode
Utagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34
What it is
The first station out: the tail of a daimyō procession files along the Shinagawa waterfront at sunrise, teahouses on the land side, cargo boats riding at anchor on Edo Bay.
Why it matters
Hiroshige links his opening sheets in time — the procession that stepped onto Nihonbashi at dawn is here seen leaving the city — turning fifty-five separate prints into one continuous journey.
What to notice
You see only the procession’s rear guard; the journey has already moved past you. The bay’s sails catch the same low light as the shopfronts.
The city ends quietly, one teahouse at a time.
The record
- Artist
- Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797–1858)
- Series
- Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)
- Date
- c. 1833–34
- Publisher
- Hōeidō (Takenouchi Magohachi)
- Medium
- woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Source
- The Art Institute of Chicago · 1930.32
- bokashi
Impression note. Fine impressions hold a clean sunrise gradation over Edo Bay and keep the pink of the dawn sky, a fugitive tone that pales in long-exposed sheets. Impression variance is real — printings differ in wiping and fading — and choosing the finest openly held impression is the curatorial act.
Public domain; faithfully reproduced.
Bring it home
Printed to order on EMA matte art paper, 200gsm.
From the same series
Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)Nihonbashi: Morning SceneUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34
Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)Hakone: The LakeUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34
Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)Mishima: Morning MistUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34
Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)Numazu: TwilightUtagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34The road at your moment — Painted Earth’s ukiyo-e style pack.