Utagawa Hiroshige

An ukiyo-e artist from the late Edo period. He was born as the eldest son of Ando Gen'emon, a regular fire brigade officer at Yayosugashi in Edo. His childhood name was Tokutaro, and he was commonly known as Ju'emon (or Ju'emon), later Tokubei, and later changed his name to Tetsuzo. In 1809 (Bunka 6) at the age of 13, he lost both parents in succession and was to take over the job of a fire brigade officer at a young age, but due to his love of art, he did not like the family profession, and in 1823 (Bunsei 6), he handed the job over to his grandfather Ju'emon's biological son, Nakajiro, and devoted himself to ukiyo-e. He entered the world of ukiyo-e at the age of 15, just two years after losing his parents. He hoped to become a disciple of the first Utagawa Toyokuni, who was all the rage at the time for his portraits of actors and beautiful women, but was not allowed to do so as Toyokuni already had many students. So, through an introduction from a rental bookstore, he became a disciple of Utagawa Toyohiro, who was also a student of Toyokuni. The following year, in 1812 (Bunka 9), Toyohiro granted him the pseudonym Utagawa Hiroshige. His first work is said to be a print of "Torikabuto" (Bird Helmet), which was published the year after he was allowed to use his artistic name, but there is no definite proof. Two Nishikie prints published five years later in 1818 (Bunsei 1): "Tairano Kiyomori by Nakamura Shikan and Hachijo no Tsubone by Nakamura Daikichi" and "Chasen Seller by Nakamura Shikan and Soba Seller at Night by Bando Mitsugoro" are considered to be of definite date. After that, during the Bunsei period (1818-1830), he was active in a wide range of paintings, including portraits of beautiful women, warriors, toys, actors, and illustrations, but he was not successful.

However, during the Tenpo era (1830-1844) his activities were remarkable, and in 1830 he changed his pen name from Ichiyusai, which he had been using, to Ichiyusai, and around 1832 he produced Famous Places of the Eastern Capital (10 panels in total, commonly known as Famous Places of the Eastern Capital with Ichiyusai), known as an early masterpiece of landscape painting. Around February 1833 he changed his name back to Ichiryusai, and in the autumn he joined the shogunate's Hassaku horse presentation procession, traveling up the Tokaido to Kyoto. He returned to Edo within the year, and in 1834 he began publishing the Hoeido edition of Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (55 panels in total), depicting the scenery of the post towns along the Tokaido that he had seen on this occasion. This series is thought to have been completed in Tempō 5, and it established Hiroshige's status as a landscape painter at a stroke. The period from this time to the end of the Tenpo era is considered the artistic zenith of Hiroshige, when he rapidly produced series such as "Eight Views of Omi" (8 panels), "Eight Views of the Suburbs of Edo" (8 panels), and "Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaido" (70 panels; Hiroshige produced 46 panels together with Keisai Eisen).

Although his production from the Koka era (1844-1848) onwards was somewhat promiscuous, several landscape prints considered to be excellent works are known from this period. Among these are the diptychs "Koyo Enkyo no Zu" and "Snowy Scenery on the Fuji River" published in 1842 (Tenpo 13), as well as "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" (118 sheets in total), Hiroshige's largest set of prints, which was published from 1856 (Ansei 3) until his death in 1858, and the triptych "Mountains and Rivers along the Kiso Road," "Night View of the Eight Scenic Spots of Buyo Kanazawa," and "View of Awa Naruto," which are said to have been painted in 1857 in three parts. These are famous as masterpieces from Hiroshige's later years. Besides landscapes, there are many excellent short-strip flower and bird paintings such as "Wild Geese in the Moon" and "Mandarin Ducks in the Snow," as well as fine works in his large-sized fish and shellfish paintings. Hiroshige started painting hand-painted pictures at a surprisingly early age, and many of his early works were portraits of beautiful women. Among the landscapes he devoted himself most to during the Kaei period (1848-1854), which were commissioned by the Tendo Domain (Yamagata Prefecture), are the so-called Tendo Hiroshige, some of which are lavish, using gold paint and other elements. He died on September 6, 1858.

[Nagata Seiji]

"Hiroshige" by Suzuki Jyuzo (1970, Nihon Keizai Shimbunsha)" ▽ "Ukiyo-e Taikei 11 Hiroshige" edited by Yamaguchi Keizaburo (1974, Shueisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸後期の浮世絵師。江戸・八代洲河岸(やよすがし)定火消(じょうびけし)同心、安藤源右衛門(げんえもん)の長男として生まれた。幼名を徳太郎、俗称を重右衛門（または十右衛門）、のち徳兵衛といい、後年には鉄蔵と改めた。1809年（文化6）13歳のときに相次いで両親を失い、若くして火消同心の職を継ぐことになったが、元来の絵好きから家職を好まず、1823年（文政6）には祖父十右衛門の実子、仲次郎にこの職を譲り、浮世絵に専心している。浮世絵界に入ったのは、両親を失ったわずか2年後の15歳のときで、当時役者絵や美人画で一世を風靡(ふうび)した初世歌川豊国(とよくに)に入門を望んだが、すでに大ぜいの門人を擁していたので許されず、貸本屋某の紹介で、豊国とは同門の歌川豊広の門人となった。その翌年の1812年（文化9）には早くも豊広から歌川広重の号を許されている。処女作といわれる作品は、画名を許された翌年の版行になるといわれる『鳥兜(とりかぶと)の図』の摺物(すりもの)とされるが確証はなく、これより5年遅れる1818年（文政1）に版行された錦絵(にしきえ)『中村芝翫(しかん)の平清盛(きよもり)と中村大吉の八条局(はちじょうのつぼね)』『中村芝翫の茶筌売(ちゃせんうり)と坂東三津五郎の夜そば売』の2図が年代の確実なものとされている。その後、文政(ぶんせい)年間（1818～1830）は美人画、武者絵、おもちゃ絵、役者絵や挿絵など幅広い作画活動を展開したが振るわなかった。

　しかし天保(てんぽう)年間（1830～1844）にはその活躍は目覚ましく、天保元年には従来から用いていた一遊斎(いちゆうさい)の号を改めて一幽斎(いちゆうさい)とし、天保2年ごろには初期の風景画の名作として知られる『東都名所』（全10枚。俗に『一幽斎がき東都名所』とよばれる）を発表。さらに天保3年2月ごろには一立斎(いちりゅうさい)とふたたび改め、秋には幕府八朔(はっさく)の御馬(おうま)献上行列に加わって、東海道を京都に上った。年内には江戸へ帰り、天保4年から、このおりに実見した東海道の宿場風景を描いた保永堂版『東海道五拾三次』（全55枚）を版行し始めている。このシリーズは天保5年中には完結したとみられるが、これにより広重は、一躍風景画家としての地位を確立したのであった。このころから天保末年にかけてが広重の芸術的絶頂期とみられ、『近江(おうみ)八景』（全8枚）、『江戸近郊八景』（全8枚）、『木曽海道(きそかいどう)六拾九次』（全70枚。渓斎英泉とともに描き、広重は46図を描いた）などのシリーズを矢つぎばやに発表していった。

　弘化(こうか)年間（1844～1848）以降は多少乱作気味であったが、この時期にも、優品とされる風景版画が何種か知られている。そのなかでも1842年（天保13）の刊行になる縦二枚続の『甲陽猿橋之図(こうようえんきょうのず)』や『富士川雪景』、また1856年（安政3）から没年（1858）まで版行され続けた広重最大数量の揃物(そろいもの)『名所江戸百景』（全118枚）、1857年に雪月花の3部に分けて描かれたという三枚続の『木曽路の山川(さんせん)』『武陽金沢八勝(ぶようかなざわはっしょう)夜景』『阿波鳴門(あわなると)之風景』などは広重晩年の代表作として名高い。風景画以外では、短冊形の花鳥画に『月に雁(かり)』『雪中のおしどり』などの優品が多く、また大錦(おおにしき)判の魚貝画にも佳作がみいだされる。肉筆画は意外に早い時期から描いており、初期には美人画が多く、嘉永(かえい)年間（1848～1854）にもっとも傾注して描いた天童藩（山形県）の依頼による天童広重とよばれる風景画には、金泥(きんでい)などを用いた豪華なものがある。安政(あんせい)5年9月6日没。

［永田生慈］

『鈴木重三著『広重』（1970・日本経済新聞社）』▽『山口圭三郎編『浮世絵大系11　広重』（1974・集英社）』

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