Chiryū c. 1832 - 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige created the woodblock print, Chiryū. It captures a scene from the Tōkaidō road, a crucial route that connected Edo, now Tokyo, to Kyoto during the Edo period. Here, horses aren’t merely part of the landscape; they reflect Japan’s reliance on animal power for transportation and agriculture. In feudal Japan, class distinctions were visibly marked, and even the way animals were handled could denote social status. Hiroshige’s composition invites us to consider the labor and lives of the individuals who worked with these animals. Notice how the figures are dwarfed by the landscape, suggesting a connection to the natural world, but also their relative place within society. Through Hiroshige’s eyes, we’re not just viewing a picturesque scene but also glimpsing a moment in time, laden with the realities of life for those who traversed and lived along the Tōkaidō.