Hanga
Okitsu, from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô meisho fûkei), also known as the Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô by Kawanabe Kyosai — Japanese Woodblock print

Okitsu, from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô meisho fûkei), also known as the Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô

by Kawanabe Kyosai

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Description

This impression of the Okitsu design from the Tōkaidō meisho fûkei series captures the station's signature ford crossing where the Okitsu River prevented the construction of a permanent bridge, leaving all Tōkaidō travelers dependent on kawagoshi water-crossing porters. As part of the Gyōretsu Tōkaidō grouping, the composition integrates processional figures — attendants, palanquin bearers, and official party members in livery — into the landscape framework standard to meisho-e. Kyosai's contribution to this series reflects his training across multiple lineages: the landscape sensibility of the Kanō school, the figure dynamism of the Utagawa tradition, and his own sardonic eye for human behavior. The nishiki-e palette in this impression maintains crisp separation between the vermilion and indigo of official garments and the neutral tones of water, stone, and washi ground.

More Prints by Kawanabe Kyosai

More Transportation Prints

Frequently Asked Questions

Okitsu, from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô meisho fûkei), also known as the Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô was created by Kawanabe Kyosai (河鍋暁斎).

Yes — Okitsu, from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô meisho fûkei), also known as the Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô is part of the Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road series by Kawanabe Kyosai.

Okitsu, from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô meisho fûkei), also known as the Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô depicts transportation, tōkaidō, and travel scenes.