53 Station of the Tokaido # 18 Okitsu by Ando Hiroshige and Utagawa Kunisada

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) and Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)(1786–1864)

Woodblock Prints Title: Okitsu , from the series The Fifty-three Stations [of the Tôkaidô Road] by Two Brushes (Sôhitsu gojûsan tsugi)

1st Publication: August 1854

Size: Vertical ôban; 34.7 x 23.9 cm (13 11/16 x 9 7/16 in.)

Date of this edition: August 1854

Publisher: Maruya Kyûshirô

Condition: Remnants from prior mounting (Glue), horizontal crease now flattened, a loss in the left margin, a clear area in the upper section of the print. Excellent colors and early impression with strong wood grain visible. Good overall condition.

Notes: The station of Okitsu along the Tōkaidō Roadway is near Tago-no-ura, a site of great natural beauty. Here, Hiroshige shows the town and temple in the distance with fish nets hung to dry in the foreground. Kunisada illustrated a female traveler receiving a massage from a blind masseur.

Taga-no-ura was the subject of a poem by Yamabe Akahito, an eighth century courtier who was later lauded as one of Japan's "Thirty-six Immortal Poets." Here, the masseur may be reciting Akahito's poem for the enjoyment of the woman

Pictures: Pictures are taken outdoor, in the shade, to reflect true colors, without any enhancements of any kind. The last picture is taken indoor, with a light behind the print, to reveal the exact paper grain, holes if any, or other possible flaws.