The Pine Grove at Miho in Suruga Province and the Kiyomigaseki Barrier Station thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

The Pine Grove at Miho in Suruga Province and the Kiyomigaseki Barrier Station

Woodblock Print
1852 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Hiroshige chose a view of Mount Fuji for this 'uchiwa-e' (rigid fan print) design. We see the mountain from the Kiyomigaseki Barrier, looking across Miho Bay with its famous grove of pine trees. The Barrier was located on the Tokaido Highway between the 17th and 18th post-stations of Okitsu and Ejiri in Shizuoka Prefecture. Kiyomigaskei was an old barrier station set up as part of the provisions of the Taika Reforms in the 7th century. It subsequently fell into disuse and was absorbed into the grounds of the nearby Seikenji Temple. However, its name survived because of its proximity to the Miho pine grove and its poetic literary associations. Hiroshige has considerably skewed the topography for this composition, as did other artists who depicted this area. If we were actually at the site of the Barrier looking towards Mount Fuji, the Miho pine grove would be well out of sight to the right.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Pine Grove at Miho in Suruga Province and the Kiyomigaseki Barrier Station (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Colour print from woodblocks
Brief description
Woodblock print, Utagawa Hiroshige I; 'The Pine Grove at Miho in Suruga Province and the Kiyomigaseki Barrier Station', from an untitled series of views of famous places in the provinces; fan print, Japanese, 1852
Physical description
Fan print, aiban size. Artist signature: Hiroshige ga. Publisher mark: Sanpei. Censor seals: Magome and Hama. Date seal: Rat 5 (1852/5).
Dimensions
  • Approx. height: 220mm
  • Approx. width: 290mm
Style
Credit line
R. Leicester Harmsworth Gift
Summary
Hiroshige chose a view of Mount Fuji for this 'uchiwa-e' (rigid fan print) design. We see the mountain from the Kiyomigaseki Barrier, looking across Miho Bay with its famous grove of pine trees. The Barrier was located on the Tokaido Highway between the 17th and 18th post-stations of Okitsu and Ejiri in Shizuoka Prefecture. Kiyomigaskei was an old barrier station set up as part of the provisions of the Taika Reforms in the 7th century. It subsequently fell into disuse and was absorbed into the grounds of the nearby Seikenji Temple. However, its name survived because of its proximity to the Miho pine grove and its poetic literary associations. Hiroshige has considerably skewed the topography for this composition, as did other artists who depicted this area. If we were actually at the site of the Barrier looking towards Mount Fuji, the Miho pine grove would be well out of sight to the right.
Collection
Accession number
E.2919-1913

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Record createdNovember 19, 2003
Record URL
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