Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Hōeidō edition)
Yui: Satta Peak
由井 薩埵嶺 · Yui, Satta-mine
Utagawa Hiroshige · c. 1833–34
What it is
The cliff path over Satta Peak: two tiny travelers cling to the pass and peer over the precipice, Suruga Bay a sheet of deep blue far below, Fuji rising clear across the water.
Why it matters
The Satta pass gave the Tōkaidō its most celebrated view of Fuji and its most dangerous footing at once — Hiroshige puts you on the edge with the travelers rather than safely before a vista.
What to notice
One traveler leans out over the drop while his companion hangs back; the pines grow bent away from the sea wind, and the bay is one unbroken field of blue.
The finest view on the road asks the worst footing.
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 · 1963.666
- bokashi
Impression note. Fine impressions carry a deep, even blue across Suruga Bay with a hand-wiped gradation where sea meets sky; the strength of that blue is the first thing lost in tired printings. 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)Shinagawa: SunriseUtagawa 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. 1833–34The road at your moment — Painted Earth’s ukiyo-e style pack.