Hiroshige Utagawa (1797-1858), after - 53rd station... Lot 27

Hiroshige Utagawa (1797-1858), after - 53rd station : Kusatsu Print from the series of 53 Tokaido stations, called "Kyoka Tokaido" - Publisher : Sanoki Edition & Bijyutsushya , supervised by Tokyo National Museum - Size of the print : 23.5 x 32.5cm + the frame , period : 1960's - Translation of the poem : All those hours and happy days spent on the road come back to me now thanks to a spring shower How blessed is Kusatsu! How blessed is the green grass by the roadside and the road signs! Signed: Shibaguchi-ya Ky?j? ----------------------------------------------- After the immense success of the first series of prints of the 53 Tokaido stations, Hiroshige decided to produce nearly thirty different versions of this series. This print, embellished with a kyoka poem, is part of the series called: "Kyoka Tokaido". Ky?ka is a comic style of Japanese poetry, very popular in the 19th century. Called "crazy poetry", it allows freer structures in feet, rhymes and double meaning language level. Also, this style allows words of Chinese origin, vulgar words and zany signatures. Often, the titles of the ky?ka, and the names used, parodied the great classical works.