Kawasaki: The Rokugo Ferry (from the series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido)
Woodblock print (ukiyo-e); ink and color on paper • Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858)
Style & Movement
Ukiyo-e, Edo Period landscape tradition (Meisho-e)
Medium & Technique
Nishiki-e (multi-colored woodblock printing) employing bokashi (color gradation) in the sky and water, and fine line-cut keyblocks for architectural and figurative detail.
Creation Period
Original design c. 1833-1834 (Tenpo era); this specific impression appears to be a later 19th or early 20th-century edition.
Dimensions & Format
Oban size (approx. 25 x 38 cm); horizontal landscape format (yoko-e).
Subject Description
A scene depicting the Rokugo River crossing at Kawasaki. Travelers are shown aboard a ferry boat in the foreground, while others wait on the bank near a tea house. Mount Fuji is visible in the distant background on the right. The composition captures the atmospheric daily life of the Tokaido highway.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Fair to Good. The print shows significant evidence of aging and mounting stress.
Estimated Market Value
$300 - $800 (depending on whether it is a mid-19th century late-state or a 20th-century reprint)
Auction Estimate
$200 - $500
Provenance History
Unknown private collection; typical of prints acquired by Western tourists in the late 19th or early 20th century. Likely lacks early Japanese collector seals.
Art Historical Significance
This is one of the most famous images from the Hoeido Edition of the Tokaido, the series that established Hiroshige as the leading landscape print artist in Japan. It revolutionalized the genre by focusing on mood, weather, and the common traveler rather than just famous landmarks.
Notable Features
Includes the series title and station name in the upper right cartouche. Notable for the 'bokashi' shading in the deep blue sky, though this impression shows a somewhat harsher transition than the earliest states.
Condition Issues
Severe foxing (brown spots) throughout the sky and water areas; noticeable water staining/damp staining on the right edge; paper undulation and toning from acidic mounting materials; slight fading of organic pigments (yellows/greens).
Conservation Recommendations
Professional deacidification and foxing treatment by a paper conservator; remounting with acid-free, archival matting; use of UV-filtering glass; avoidance of direct sunlight.