Hiratsuka 1855

Utagawa Hiroshige's 'Hiratsuka' print uses the traditional Japanese technique of woodblock printing, a process which inherently ties artistic vision to skilled labor and material knowledge. Woodblock printing, or *ukiyo-e*, begins with a drawing, which is then transferred to a thin sheet of paper. This is then adhered to a block of wood, usually cherry. The key block cutter carefully carves the image, destroying the original drawing in the process. From this, multiple blocks are made, each for a specific color. The printer then delicately applies pigments to each block in turn, aligning it perfectly on paper to build up the final image. The cultural significance lies in the *ukiyo-e* tradition itself, which flourished during the Edo period, and made art accessible to a wider public. Hiroshige’s work reflects the rise of a merchant class with disposable income for art, in a society that saw an increasing emphasis on travel and leisure. So the image shows the beauty of nature, but the print itself is tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. In understanding an artwork, materials, making, and context are all essential.