{"id":23559,"date":"2016-12-24T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2016-12-23T23:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=23559"},"modified":"2020-11-02T00:29:10","modified_gmt":"2020-11-01T15:29:10","slug":"fujisawa-ukiyoe-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/fujisawa-ukiyoe-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"A free museum dedicated to Ukiyo-e in Fujisawa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sponsored by Fujisawa City Tourist Association<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

If you are an art lover without a dime, you will be pleased to hear about the free ukiyo-e museum located in Fujisawa city. The term ukiyo-e<\/em> can be translated as “picture(s) of the floating world”. The ukiyo-e artists produced woodblock prints on popular subjects (such as kabuki actors, history and folk tales, travel scenes and landscapes).<\/p>\n

You can get to Fujisawa from Tokyo by train. The museum is <\/em>a five-minute walk from the Tsujido JR station. When you arrive in the building, take the elevator to the 7th floor.<\/p>\n

\"Indications<\/a>

The Signboard at the entrance of the building and the museum.<\/p><\/div>\n

The “53 Stations of the T\u014dkaid\u014d” section<\/h2>\n

The first room of the museum is dedicated to the 53 stations of the T\u014dkaid\u014d, a popular subject among the Edo (17-19 centuries) ukiyo-e artists. The T\u014dkaid\u014d road was the main travel and transport artery of old Japan, linking the sh\u014dgun’s capital of Edo (the current Tokyo), to the imperial capital in Ky\u014dto.<\/p>\n

Interestingly the 6th station of the road was Fujisawa!<\/p>\n

\"During<\/a>

During the Edo period, there was a fish market by the Nihonbashi Bridge, the starting point of the T\u014dkaid\u014d road. The Edo people\u2019s favorite local fish was bonito. A kite is stealing a man\u2019s bonito. Artist: Utagawa Yoshikazu.<\/p><\/div>\n

The T\u014dkaid\u014d was one of the Five Routes (a series of roads linking the Edo with the rest of Japan) constructed under Tokugawa Ieyasu. It travelled along the eastern coast of Honsh\u016b – thus giving rise to the name T\u014dkaid\u014d<\/em> (“Eastern Sea Road”) – on almost 500 kilometers. Incidentally, this is where the shinkansen route between Tokyo and Osaka gets its name. Along this road, there were 53 different post stations, which provided stables, food and lodging for travelers. Most of the time, people traveling by foot took 2 weeks to travel the road.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The 6th station. The landmark of Fujisawa, Yugyo-ji temple is illustrated on the background. The figures in front are Oguri-Hangan, Princess Terute and a horse face figure Onikage, the Oguri\u2019s horse. They are the legendary figures related to Fujisawa. Artist: Utagawa Yoshikazu.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hiroshige and the T\u014dkaid\u014d<\/span><\/h2>\n

After his first travel along the T\u014dkaid\u014d in 1832, Hiroshige created his own version of the 53 stations of the T\u014dkaid\u014d. 10 000 copies of the series were printed: a huge success that established Hiroshige as the most prominent and successful ukiyo-e artist of the Tokugawa era!<\/p>\n

\"Another version<\/a>

Another version of the 6th station in Fujisawa. You can see the Yugyo-ji bridge which still exists in Fujisawa today. Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The “Fujisawa post station” section<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Push the “English” button under the screen and sit comfortably. A short movie shows how Fujisawa\u2019s historical places as represented in ukiyo-e have evolved. The current places are almost all located around the museum. It’s really interesting!<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 The “Enoshima island” section<\/strong><\/h2>\n

During the Edo period, Enoshima Island was one of the most popular pilgrimage sites. It is common to find representations of Enoshima in ukiyo-e. This section gathers ukiyo-e works inspired by the island.<\/p>\n

\"Pilgrim<\/a>

Pilgrim women on the road to Enoshima island. Artist: Utagawa Kunisada.<\/p><\/div>\n

The “Special exhibition” section<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In this section, you will find temporary exhibitions on various subjects related to ukiyo-e. When I visited the museum, the exhibition was on the sugoroku <\/em>(literally “double six”), a popular board game from the Edo period. This game was printed on a large piece of paper that travelers rolled-up to play anywhere on the road. Most of the ukiyo-e artists made their own version of sugoroku. <\/em>Today, those board are considered as pieces of art and a primary source of the Edo period as they often represent daily life scenes.<\/p>\n

\"Sugoroku<\/a>

Sugoroku board game – Theme : perambulating along the T\u014dkaid\u014d, each square represents one of the 53 post stations. Format: 53,4 \u00d7 74,8 cm. Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige<\/p><\/div>\n

The recreational section<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In this section, you will find touch panels with information on several ukiyo-e prints from the museum collection. You can zoom in and enjoy further descriptions (albeit only in Japanese). You can also read and browse books and catalogues that introduce the local history of Fujisawa city, ukiyo-e and Edo period culture. A little exhibition shows how to make an ukiyo-e print, from woodblock carving and coloring to printing. If you are interested in making your own ukiyo-e, you can check the workshops and events organized by the museum on their website!<\/p>\n

\"Information<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Enoshima<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Ukiyo-e<\/a><\/p>\n

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Access<\/strong><\/h2>\n