Maisaka: Ferryboats on the Sea at Imagiri (Maisaka Imagiri kaijō funewatashi), No. 31 from the series Famous Sites of the Fifty-three Stations (Gojūsan tsugi meisho zue), 1855

Color woodblock print

14 5/8 x 10 inches (37.1 x 25.4 cm)

Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Samuel S. White 3rd and Vera White Collection, 1967

1967-30-160

Hiroshige’s images of the Tōkaidō Road, as in this depiction of the ferryboats at Maisaka, were some of the most popular landscapes of the nineteenth century. Though some could travel the highway in person, many more could purchase Hiroshige’s prints, enjoying the sights of the journey from the comfort of their own homes. These landscapes of the Edo period would remain a source of inspiration for later printmakers, as may be seen in examples elsewhere in the gallery.

Quintana Heathman