Condition. The book is in Good+ condition. It is complete. While the binding is solid, the top ribbon tie is approximately 60% broken at the back. The corners are bumped and worn and there are several scrapes and discolored areas on the boards. It is unclear which of the preliminary plates had tissue guards, however, one plate (portrait) shows evidence that a tissue guard was present but is now removed. The book has moderate foxing and soiling and while most pages have a small-moderate amount, it is primarily in the margins. The foxing and soiling is move evident on the collotype plates than the color plates. Approximately 10% of the pages have small tears (less than 1/2 in) in the margins at the bottom or top edge. None of the tears enter the image area. The text pages at the rear are lower quality paper and while not brittle, they are aged/tanned.

 
Hiroshige Ando (reproductions after his work):
Tokaido: Hiroshige-ga Gojusan-tsugi Genjo Shashin Taisho (Hiroshige's Fifty Three Stations of the Tokaido and Corresponding Taisho Era Photographs), Tokyo, Tokoen, 1918 (Taisho 7), oblong small 4to (12 x 8 7/8 in - 30 x 22.6 cm), decorated blindstamped blue cloth with gilt lettering on front board, bound Japanese style and format (reads back to front) with heavy ribbon ties, color illustrated end papers at the front and rear, 55 black and white collotype reproductions of photographs, 1 black and white reproduction of monuments to Hiroshige, 58 color "off-set" plates, a total of 114 pages (112 numbered and 2 unnumbered) plus an additional 40 numbered pages of Japanese language text at the rear which contain 11 black and white text illustrations, 154 pages total. The color plates include a map of the Tokaido (two views on 1 plate, one current and one from earlier days), a compilation of Hiroshige's seals (1 plate), portrait of a man seated - probably Hiroshige (1 plate) and 55 reproductions of Hiroshigie's prints. This book is a comprehensive comparison of Hiroshige's famous series of 55 woodblock plates recording the various stations on the Tokaido in the summer of 1832 with photographic views of the same locations taken ca. 1918.

The index calls the black and white photograph (sashin) reproductions "collotype." The color prints are called "off-set" in the index and I believe that they can technically characterized as color offset lithographs. The color plates are printed on light tan mat finish (dull) paper of medium thickness with a grill pattern embossed into the paper. The color plates are printed two to a sheet and then the sheet is folded and bound into the book in typical Japanese style. The collotype plates are printed front and back. The sequence is two color plates (one page folded) followed by two black and white collotypes (one sheet printed front and back). Following this pattern the plate on one side is the color reproduction of the Hiroshige print and the facing page is the corresponding black and white collotype reproduction of a photograph showing the same scene at the time the book was published. Each black and white plate has a descriptive paragraph in English at the top and a Japanese language paragraph on the side. The number of each view is stated in Japanese at the top of each black and white plate. Following the 55th collotype plate is a collotype plate showing two stone monuments in honor of Hiroshige.

Hiroshige's famous views of the 53 stations of the Tokaido was composed of 55 prints. These included the terminal points (Nihonbashi on one end and Kyoto on the other) and 53 intermediate stations (tsugi). This books presents all 55 views. The year 1918 marked the 60th anniversary of Hiroshige Ando's (1797-1858) death. His body of work was celebrated that year in Japan by numerous commemorative events and undertakings and this book is one such activity.

End Papers


Title




Seals


Portrait


Table of Contents

Maps (2 maps on one plate)



Selected Plates

1.  Nihonbashi


5.  Hodogaya


11.  Hakone


16. Kambara


22. Fujieda


27. Kakegawa


35. Yoshida


43. Okazaki


46. Shono


48. Seki


50. Tsuchiyama


55. Kyoto



Text at Rear (1st of 40 pages)


Colophon


"Collotype" and "Off-set" Designations
(Found in Table of Contents/Index at Front)


Close Up, Color Plate (Off-set Color Lithograph)


Close Up, Black and White Plate (Collotype)



Locales of all 55 Prints of the 
53 Tokaido Stations Series by Hiroshige Ando.
(The start and end are not counted as stations)

   1. Nihonbashi
   2. Shinagawa
   3. Kawasaki
   4. Kanagawa
   5. Hodogaya
   6. Totsuka
   7. Fujisawa
   8. Hiratsuka
   9. Oi-o
  10. Odawara
  11. Hakone
  12. Between Odawara and Mishima
  13. Numazu
  14. Hara
  15. Yoshiwara
  16. Kambara
  17. Yui
  18. Okitsu
  19. Ejiri
  20. Fuchu
  21. Mariko
  22. Okabe
  23. Fujieda
  24. Ihimada (shore of the Kanaya)
  25. Kanaya
  26. Nissaka
  27. Kakegawa
  28. Fukuroi
  29. Mitsuke
  30. Hamamatsu
  31. Maisaka
  32. Arai
  33. Shirasuka
  34. Futagawa
  35. Yoshida
  36. Goyu
  37. Akasaka
  38. Fujikawa
  39. Okazaki
  40. Chirin (Chirifu) on the Mikawa Plain  
  41. Narumi
  42. Miya (Atsuta)
  43. Kuwana
  44. Yokkaichi
  45. Ishiyakushi
  46. Shono
  47. Kameyama Castle ("probably painted from Kioguchi")
  48. Seki
  49. Sakanoshita
  50. Tsuchiyama
  51. Minakuchi
  52. Ishibe
  53. Kusatsu
  54. Otsu
  55. Kyoto