No. 17, Yui: Satta Pass and Kurasawa Station (Satta tōge, Kurasawa tateba), from the series The Tōkaidō Road, The Fifty-three Stations (Tōkaidō, GojÅ«san tsugi no uchi) c. 1850 - 1851

Editor: This woodblock print, "No. 17, Yui: Satta Pass and Kurasawa Station" by Utagawa Hiroshige, has such a serene quality. I'm drawn to the texture of the thatched roofs. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I observe the labor embedded in this seemingly simple landscape. Consider the process: wood carving, ink application, the manual labor of printing—all crucial to the final product. How does this mass production, this consumption of imagery, relate to the unique scene depicted? Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn't considered the labor involved in creating what feels like a very calm moment. Curator: Exactly. The print invites us to consider how the means of production impact our understanding and appreciation of the artwork itself. Editor: I see what you mean. It's made me think about the distance between the artist, the production, and the eventual consumer of the image. Curator: Precisely. Thank you for prompting such a layered interpretation.