Fine Art Poster
From £28
A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
Shono, Kameyama, Seki, Sakanoshita, and Tsuchiyama - Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Regular price
£28.00 GBP
Sale price
£28.00 GBP
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
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Made to order
Description
A detailed woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi depicting five stations along the historic Tokaido road, rendered with precise line work and soft colour.
This woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi belongs to the series Famous Places on the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido. Kuniyoshi, a master of the Utagawa school, is often associated with dynamic warrior prints, yet this work demonstrates his capability in the genre of meisho-e, or pictures of famous places. The composition captures five distinct post stations along the Tokaido road, the primary route connecting Edo and Kyoto during the Edo period.
The print employs a compressed perspective, allowing the viewer to observe multiple geographical points within a single frame. In the foreground, travellers navigate a path near a prominent pine tree, providing a sense of scale against the mountainous terrain. The middle ground features a series of rolling hills and waterways, with small cartouches identifying each station. Kuniyoshi uses a balanced palette, employing soft blues for the distant peaks and earthy tones for the terrain, which creates a sense of atmospheric depth. The inclusion of a gourd-shaped seal at the top adds a decorative element, characteristic of the period's print design.
Unlike the singular focus often found in Hiroshige's depictions of the same route, Kuniyoshi presents a condensed narrative of the journey. The print functions as a visual summary of the travel experience, mapping the physical progression of the road through a stylised, topographical approach. The lines are precise, defining the contours of the mountains and the figures with clarity. This work offers a view into the travel culture of nineteenth-century Japan, where such prints served as both souvenirs and guides for those unable to make the journey themselves. The print remains a clear example of the technical skill involved in multi-block printing, with careful registration of colour areas to maintain the integrity of the scene.
Return policy
Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
Shipping
We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Complete The Look
Shono, Kameyama, Seki, Sakanoshita, and Tsuchiyama - Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Regular price
From £28.00 GBP
Sale price
From £28.00 GBP
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / A4 (21x29.7 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Kuniyoshi's father was a silk dyer in Edo. The boy helped with pattern design, which gave him an instinct for colour and textile decoration that shows in every print he made. At twelve he caught the attention of Utagawa Toyokuni, the head of the Utagawa school, and was admitted as a student. He was given the name Kuniyoshi in 1814 and became independent.
For the first thirteen years he struggled. The breakthrough came in 1827 with a commission to illustrate the 108 Heroes of the Suikoden, a Chinese adventure novel. He drew tattooed warriors in dynamic poses that broke out of the frame, the tattoos rendered with a detail that started a fashion in Edo. The series was enormously popular and established him as the leading designer of warrior prints.
He loved cats. His studio was always full of them, and he often worked with a kitten tucked inside his kimono. When a cat died, he sent it to a nearby temple, and he kept a Buddhist altar for his deceased cats at home. Cats appear constantly in his prints: as substitute actors in kabuki scenes, as letter-forms in playful alphabets, as parodies of famous paintings. Government censorship in the 1840s prohibited the depiction of actors and courtesans by name, so Kuniyoshi gave them cat faces, which was technically legal and funnier.
His range was unusual for an ukiyo-e artist. Warriors, landscapes, beautiful women, ghosts, satirical cartoons, cats. He was equally comfortable with the heroic and the absurd, sometimes on the same sheet. His triptych of the giant skeleton spectre, from the tale of Takiyasha the Witch, is one of the most reproduced images in Japanese art.
For the first thirteen years he struggled. The breakthrough came in 1827 with a commission to illustrate the 108 Heroes of the Suikoden, a Chinese adventure novel. He drew tattooed warriors in dynamic poses that broke out of the frame, the tattoos rendered with a detail that started a fashion in Edo. The series was enormously popular and established him as the leading designer of warrior prints.
He loved cats. His studio was always full of them, and he often worked with a kitten tucked inside his kimono. When a cat died, he sent it to a nearby temple, and he kept a Buddhist altar for his deceased cats at home. Cats appear constantly in his prints: as substitute actors in kabuki scenes, as letter-forms in playful alphabets, as parodies of famous paintings. Government censorship in the 1840s prohibited the depiction of actors and courtesans by name, so Kuniyoshi gave them cat faces, which was technically legal and funnier.
His range was unusual for an ukiyo-e artist. Warriors, landscapes, beautiful women, ghosts, satirical cartoons, cats. He was equally comfortable with the heroic and the absurd, sometimes on the same sheet. His triptych of the giant skeleton spectre, from the tale of Takiyasha the Witch, is one of the most reproduced images in Japanese art.
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Every piece is printed to order. These are the five finishes, and what makes each one different.
Fine Art Framed
From £45
The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
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