Shimada: The Suruga Bank of the Ōi River (Shimada, Ōigawa Sungan), from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road (Tōkaidō gojÅ«san tsugi no uchi), also known as the First Tōkaidō or Great Tōkaidō c. 20th century

Curator: Look at this print, isn't it gorgeous? It's "Shimada: The Suruga Bank of the Ōi River" by Utagawa Hiroshige, from his "Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road" series. Editor: My first thought? It's a study of labor, of bodies in transit. The texture of that riverbank practically screams under the weight of all those travelers. Curator: Exactly! And that river— the Ōi—was a natural barrier; crossing it was a whole production. Hiroshige really captures the communal aspect. Editor: I'm thinking about the woodblocks. Each color, a separate block, painstakingly carved. It's a testament to the artisan's skill, and the publisher's ability to coordinate all that labor. Curator: It's like a little poem about human movement and the tiny dramas of travel. Doesn't it make you want to pack a bag and just… wander? Editor: It makes me think of the economics behind that wanderlust. The silk routes, the flow of commodities, the cultural exchange… it's all there, beneath the surface. Curator: Well, I see the beauty, the sheer artistry, the quiet observation of human life. Editor: And I see the system that made that beauty possible, the human hands that shaped it, and the societal currents that carried it across time. Fascinating!