Mishima (Morning Mist) - Utagawa Hiroshige

A woodblock print from Hiroshige's Reisho Tokaido series depicting the Mishima station. It features a shrine gate and travellers on the historic road.

Utagawa Hiroshige produced this woodblock print as part of his Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido series. This specific version is the Reisho Tokaido, named after the formal clerical script used in the title. The series documents the various rest stops along the coastal road between Edo and Kyoto. Mishima was the eleventh station and a significant site due to the presence of the Mishima Taisha shrine. This edition was published by Maruya Seijiro between 1847 and 1852, following the success of Hiroshige's earlier Hoeido edition.

The composition uses a high perspective to look down upon the station. A large blue torii gate stands in the lower right corner, marking the entrance to the shrine grounds. Dark pine trees frame the right side of the image. On the left, a large building with an open front allows a view of the interior. Figures populate the scene, including travellers with walking sticks and porters carrying goods. Some people gather near the shop entrance while others continue their journey along the wide, open road. The placement of the figures creates a sense of depth across the flat surface of the print.

Hiroshige used a palette of soft greens and blues to define the ground and sky. The print demonstrates the bokashi technique, where ink is graded on the woodblock to create soft transitions of colour. This is particularly evident in the horizontal bands across the sky and the shaded areas of the road. The architectural details of the buildings and the gate provide a sense of the physical environment of nineteenth-century Japan. This work is a record of the daily movement and commerce that defined the Tokaido route. The artist focuses on the human activity within the space, showing the interactions between locals and those passing through the station.