Ejiri Possibly 1854 - 1858

Utagawa Kunisada’s “Ejiri” woodblock print presents a captivating vision, layering the ethereal with the earthly. The composition is split into two distinct registers: above, an actor in elaborate costume seems to float, encircled by a serpentine figure. Below, the tranquil landscape of Ejiri, complete with Mount Fuji, unfolds. Kunisada masterfully employs line and color to differentiate these realms. The sinuous lines of the serpent and the actor’s detailed garb contrast with the more subdued, horizontal lines of the landscape. The bright whites and blues of the upper portion give way to the softer blues and grays of the water and sky below, creating a sense of depth. The piece destabilizes our expectations of perspective. The actor, seemingly suspended in mid-air, disrupts a conventional sense of spatial order. Through this formal arrangement, Kunisada invites us to question the boundaries between the real and the theatrical, the earthly and the transcendent. The woodblock becomes a stage where fixed meanings dissolve into fluid interpretations.