Reproduced from the finest surviving edition of a rare manuscript, The Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kisokaido brings Hiroshige and Eisen's portrait of daily life in nineteenth century Japan to Western audiences for the first time. Each of the seventy-one images teems with unique characters, from beggars and brawling men to boaters and finely clothed women. Behind these travellers loom castles, cities, powerful waterfalls and many other sites familiar to lovers of Japanese history. Comments by Sebastian Izzard, Ph.D., accompany each image, not only providing insight into their subject matter, but also discussing their survival during the dramatic social shifts and economic hardship of Hiroshige and Eisen's time. This book tells the story of a landmark, two immortal artists, and an enduring masterpiece. Sebastian Izzard received his Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University. After over twenty years' experience as an auction house specialist, appraiser and dealer in Japanese and Korean Art, he has served as head of the Japanese and Korean art division at Christie's New York, curated shows for the Ukiyo-e Society of America and the Japan Society, and received the Uchiyama Memorial Prize for advances in Japanese print studies. He currently lives in New York. 71 colour illustrations
