No.Chiryu_ 1847 - 1852

Utagawa Hiroshige created this woodblock print, No. Chiryu, as part of the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road. Here we see the laborers who were essential to the infrastructure of 19th-century Japan. They are stripped down, wearing loincloths to deal with the labor and heat. These men look alike; their individuality subordinated to the work they perform. They carry identical packages, their movements synchronized, resembling a human conveyor belt against the backdrop of a stylized landscape. In feudal Japan, class hierarchies were visually enforced and regulated. Woodblock prints allowed for circulation of images and information, reinforcing social norms but also subtly revealing the human cost of labor. Through his distinctive composition, Hiroshige does more than just depict a scene; he invites us to consider the lives and bodies that supported the economy.