Akasaka, Fujikawa, Okazaki, Chiryu, and Narumi - Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
Secure checkout
Made to order
Description
A woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi depicting travellers and local life along the Tokaido road, featuring mountain scenery and traditional patterns.
This woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi belongs to the series Famous Places on the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido. Kuniyoshi, a master of the Utagawa school, produced this work during the mid-nineteenth century. The composition captures a scene along the Tokaido road, the primary route connecting Edo and Kyoto during the Edo period.
The foreground features figures engaged in daily activities near the water, including individuals carrying goods and others tending to nets. To the right, a large piece of fabric hangs from a pole, its patterned surface providing a visual contrast to the natural forms of the mountains in the distance. The mountains are rendered with distinct colour blocks, showing the influence of both traditional Japanese painting and the introduction of Western perspective techniques that began to permeate the art of the era.
Kuniyoshi is often associated with his dramatic warrior prints, yet this series demonstrates his ability to observe the quiet rhythms of travel and local life. The print employs a balanced palette, using deep blues for the water and mountain silhouettes, offset by the warm, sunset-toned sky. The inclusion of cartouches containing the names of the five stations indicates the print's function as a guide or souvenir for travellers. The work reflects the popular interest in travel and regional geography that defined the cultural output of the period. By combining human activity with the geography of the Tokaido, Kuniyoshi provides a snapshot of the social and physical environment of Japan before the rapid modernisation of the Meiji era.
Return policy
Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
Shipping
We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Akasaka, Fujikawa, Okazaki, Chiryu, and Narumi - Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Artist Biography
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
For the first thirteen years he struggled. The breakthrough came in 1827 with a commission to illustrate the 108 Heroes of the Suikoden, a Chinese adventure novel. He drew tattooed warriors in dynamic poses that broke out of the frame, the tattoos rendered with a detail that started a fashion in Edo. The series was enormously popular and established him as the leading designer of warrior prints.
He loved cats. His studio was always full of them, and he often worked with a kitten tucked inside his kimono. When a cat died, he sent it to a nearby temple, and he kept a Buddhist altar for his deceased cats at home. Cats appear constantly in his prints: as substitute actors in kabuki scenes, as letter-forms in playful alphabets, as parodies of famous paintings. Government censorship in the 1840s prohibited the depiction of actors and courtesans by name, so Kuniyoshi gave them cat faces, which was technically legal and funnier.
His range was unusual for an ukiyo-e artist. Warriors, landscapes, beautiful women, ghosts, satirical cartoons, cats. He was equally comfortable with the heroic and the absurd, sometimes on the same sheet. His triptych of the giant skeleton spectre, from the tale of Takiyasha the Witch, is one of the most reproduced images in Japanese art.
Why Choose Us ?
Damage-free delivery guarantee
Fast Shipping
Museum-Quality Materials
You May Also Like