Who painted The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido: Kano, and when?

The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido: Kano is by Utagawa Hiroshige, made in c. 1835-38 (Tenpo 6-9). Medium: Woodblock print (ukiyo-e).

Where can I see The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido: Kano?

It is held by Tokyo National Museum, National Diet Library. Exhibitions change, so check each museum's information before you visit.

The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido ・ 54

Kano

木曽海道六拾九次之内加納

A daimyo procession moves through the castle town of Kano. A party holding feather-tassel spears walks along a pine-lined road, and people kneel at the roadside to see them off. Beyond the fields can be seen the castle's turrets and white walls.

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige
Date: c. 1835-38 (Tenpo 6-9)
Medium / format: Woodblock print (ukiyo-e)
Series: The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido 71 prints
Place depicted: Kano-juku（Gifu）

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About this work

Along the road in the foreground, a procession of samurai in broad hats moves from right to left. Near the head, a man walks holding a feather-tassel spear, and at the roadside at left two men kneel with heads bowed. A teahouse is visible at right rear, where people from the rear of the procession are also resting.

Two large pines stand in the middle of the picture, and beyond them one can see wide fields and the turrets of a castle surrounded by white walls. The blue gradation of the sky and the green of the fields are calm, and the movement of the orderly procession gives the picture a regular rhythm.

Kano was a post town in the center of today's Gifu that also served as the castle town of Kano Castle. With the abolition of Gifu Castle in 1601 (Keicho 6) and the construction of Kano Castle in its place, it developed as a post town. A honjin and a waki-honjin were placed there, and it played the roles of both castle town and post town.

This is by Hiroshige. With its composition combining castle and procession, it is thought to express the character of a post town that was also a castle town. Lining up the orderly procession across the whole horizontal picture conveys well the solemn air of the castle town.

The place today

The ruins of Kano Castle are designated a national historic site, with part of the stone walls and the site of the main enclosure remaining as a park. In the old post town spreading south of JR Gifu Station are the honjin site, with a monument inscribed with a poem by Princess Kazunomiya, and the waki-honjin site, and following the signboards one can walk around the townscape.

Where can I see it?

Exhibitions change over time. Check each museum's exhibition information before you visit.

Museums that hold this work

Tokyo National Museum
Taito City, Tokyo　Accession no. A-12499-122
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National Diet Library
Chiyoda City, Tokyo　Accession no. 寄別2-2-1-5
Included in Kisokaido Rokujukyu-tsugi
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Museums abroad

Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago
28 views, including those in the Clarence Buckingham Collection
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Frequently asked questions

Who painted The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido: Kano, and when?: The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido: Kano is by Utagawa Hiroshige, made in c. 1835-38 (Tenpo 6-9). Medium: Woodblock print (ukiyo-e).
What place does The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido: Kano show?: It shows Kano-juku (Gifu).
Where can I see The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido: Kano?: It is held by Tokyo National Museum, National Diet Library. Exhibitions change, so check each museum's information before you visit.