Honjō: Ferry Crossing on the Kanna River
c. 1835–36 · Woodblock print; ink and colour on paper · National Diet Library, Tokyo
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About this work
- Artist
- Keisai Eisen (1790–1848)
- Year
- c. 1835–36
- Medium
- Woodblock print; ink and colour on paper
- Original size
- approx. 23 × 35 cm (horizontal ōban)
- Collection
- National Diet Library, Tokyo (impression pid 1306238, call no. 寄別2-2-1-5; many other impressions exist)
- Movement
- Ukiyo-e
- Series
- Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaidō
A long plank bridge crosses the blue Kanna River, packed from end to end with travellers in white hats, and a tall stone lantern stands at the near end. In the foreground, men with shoulder boxes and walking staffs make their way over a sandbank, while across the water a village of yellow roofs sits below a range of mountains, one lit gold, under a peach evening sky. This is print eleven of The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaidō, published by Hōeidō and later Kinjudō, c. 1835–36. Keisai Eisen, who designed it, began the series and Utagawa Hiroshige completed it. Honjō was the tenth station on the Nakasendō, the inland road from Edo to Kyoto, and the title names this river crossing; impressions vary in colour and condition.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Clear river blue, pale sandbanks and gold and grey mountains under a peach sky, for a living room, study or office at 24×16 in natural wood. It pairs with Hiroshige's Okazaki: Yahagi Bridge, another long crossing crowded with travellers.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Ukiyo-e painting
- Era
- 19th century (c. 1835–36)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- calm
- Rooms
- living room, study or library, home office, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×16. Prints at 18×12, 24×16 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — natural wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Honjō: Ferry Crossing on the Kanna River in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Honjō: Ferry Crossing on the Kanna River painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
