Utagawa Hiroshige

Hiroshige was born in 1797 in Yayosugashi in Edo. His first formal art studies began at the age of fifteen under Utagawa Toyohiro, a man of limited artistic talent, whose personality was retiring but kind. Within one year Hiroshige was given the name Utagawa Hiroshige in recognition of his great abilities. Along with some unofficial training in the Kanö school, he also studied the softer styles of the Chinese -inspired art of the Nanga and Shijö schools under the painting master Öoka Umpö. It was only after years of study that Hiroshige was ablt to synthesize these styles, along with that of the Western landscape, to produce something entirely harmonious. His bijin studies proved totally unpopular, lacking the sensuality demanded by Edo patrons. The Michener Collection owns a small number of these early studies.

In 1830 Hiroshige gave up this genre and devoted his entire attention to landscapes and bird and flower studies., bringing into play his varied training in these areas. At this time he changed his art name from Utagawa Hiroshige to Ichiyüsai Hiroshige in recognition of his new style of art. His initial efforts were encouraging, and despite a lack of polish, many of his more salient characteristics can be observed at this time.

Two years later, at the age of thirty-five, he changed the characters for his name to Ichiryüsai to indicate still another step in his fast maturing career. At that time (1832), Hiroshige produced his now famous Tökaidö Go Jü San Tsugi no Uchi (Fifety-three Stations of Tökaidö). The Academy collection owns two complete sets of the Hoeidö Tökaidö, includeing a number of duplicate states and varients.