Tag Archives: Statues

Culture, Environment, 静岡県, 静岡市, 観光, Hiroshige, History, Japan, Japanese Culture, Photography, Shizuoka, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Statues, Tourism, Ukiyo-e

Hiroshige Wood Block Prints for All in Gofuku Cho Street in Shizuoka City! 31~45

December 3, 2013 dragonlife 2 Comments

Wood Block Print 31)
Hamamatsu (Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture)!

SYNOPSIS

Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese: 歌川広重), also Andō Hiroshige (Japanese: 安藤広重; 1797 – 12 October 1858) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, considered the last great master of that tradition.
Hiroshige is best known for his landscapes, such as the series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō.

Although you can see all 53 wood block prints at the Hiroshige Museum in Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City, did you know you can see 45 (at the final check today!) of them daily if you walk along Gofuku Cho Street?

I’m preparing a total compilation of the ukiyo-e only, including the ones missing, that is a total of 53+2= 57!

Before I proceed with the last ukiyo-e of this series I want to show you a few more pictures of art works created with them!

Gofuku Cho Street Sign at the entrance of Gofuku Cho Street!

Double bar bench?

Geisha’s Face!

Geisha and Suitor’s faces!

Alright, let’s proceed to the pedestals and wood block prints!

Pedestal 31)
Geisha in the Wind!

Pedestal 32)
Traveling Porter!

Wood Block Print 32)
27th Station: Fukuroi (Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture)!

Pedestal 33)
Traveling Mother and Child!

Wood Block Print 33)
25th Station: Nissaka (presently in Kakekagawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture)!

Pedestal 34)
Shamisen-Playing Geisha!

Wood Block Print 34)
23rd Station: Shimada (Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture)!

Pedestal 35)
Mother Carrying Child on her Back!

Wood Block Print 35)
21st Station: Okabe (presently in Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture)!

Pedestal 36)
Mother Carrying her Son on her Back!

Wood Block Print 36)
19th Station: Fuchu (presently Shizuoka City)!

Pedestal 37)
Two-Sword Samurai in the Wind!

Wood Block Print 37)
17th Station: Okitsu (presently in Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City)!

Pedestal 38)
Housewife!

Wood Block Print 38)
10th Station: Hakone (Hakone, Kanagawa prefecture)!

Pedestal 39)
Farmer’s Wife Carrying Produce on her Head and Son on her back!

Wood Block Print 39)
5th Station: Totsuka (presently Totsuka Ku, Yokohamam City, Kanagawa Prefecture)!

Pedestal 40)
Porter!

Wood Block Print 40)
2nd Station: Kawasaki (Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture)!

Pedestal 41)
Resting Mother and Two Children!

Wood Block Print 41)
Not a Station but the starting point at Nihonbashi, The Bridge o Japan in Edo (presently Tokyo)!

Pedestal 42)
Young Girl with Umbrella!

Wood Block Print 42)
1st Station: Shinagawa (presently in Tokyo)!

Pedestal 43)
Horse Rider!

Wood Block Print 43)
4th Station: Hodogaya (presently Hodogaya Ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture)!

Pedestal 44)
Mother Carrying Child on her Back under Unbrella!

Wood Block Print 44)
6th Station: Fujisawa (Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture)!

Pedestal 45)
Mother and Grandmother Playing with Child!

Wood Block Print 45)
11th Station: Mishiima (Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture)!

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静岡県, 静岡市, 観光, Hiroshige, History, Japan, Japanese Culture, Life in Japan, Photography, Shizuoka, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Tourism

Hiroshige Wood Block Prints for All in Gofuku Cho Street in Shizuoka City! 21~30

December 2, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Wood Block Print 21)
Sanjo Bridge at Keishi (Kyoto). Not a station but the end of the Tokaido Trail!

SYNOPSIS

Although you can see all 53 wood block prints at the Hiroshige Museum in Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City, did you know you can see 47 (at the last double check yesterday!) of them daily if you walk along Gofuku Cho Street?

Pedstal 219
Soap Bubble Playing Boy!

Actually, these ukiyo-e/Wood Block Prints by Hiroshige is only part of a whole city decoration concept including statues and benches made of similar material with Edo period “Characters”. I found more for your interest yesterday!

Monocycle?

“Wa”!
In Japan a full circle also means “peace” or “harmony”!

Thinking about it again the ring is probably supposed to roll along that contraption!

Alright, let’s go back again to the prints!

Pedestal 22)
Old Lord Looking up!

Wood Block Print 22)
53rd Station: Otsu (presently, Otsu City, Shiga OPrefecture)!

Pedestal 23)
Resting and Thinking Traveler!

Wood Block Print 23)
50th Station: Minakuchi (presently Koka City in Shiga Prefecture)!

Pedestal 24)
Traveler in the wind and rain!

Wood Block Print 24)
47th Station: “Ski/The Barrier” (presently in Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture)

Pedestal 25)
Foot Travelers!

Wood Block print 25)
45th Station: Shono (presently part of Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture)!

Pedestal 26)
Mother and Child!

Wood Block Print 27)
42nd Station: Kuwana (presently kuwana City, Mie Prefecture)!

Pedestal 27)
Crouching Old men!

Wood Block Print 27)
40th Station: Narumi (presently part of Midori Ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture)!

Pedestal 28)
Traveler!

Wood Block Print 28)
38th Station: Okazaki (presently Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture)!

Pedestal 29)
Geisha in her Parlor!

Wood Block Print 29)
35th Station: Goyu (presently port of Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture)!

Pedestal 30)
Relaxing Geisha!

Wood Block Print 30)
32nd Station: Shirasuka (presently in Kosai City, Shizuoka Prefecture)!

To be continued…

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Hiroshige Wood Block Prints for All in Gofuku Cho Street in Shizuoka City! 11~20

November 29, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Wood Block Print 11)
28th Station: Mitsuke (Tenryuu, presently Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture)!

SYNOPSIS

Although you can see all 53 wood block prints at the Hiroshige Museum in Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City, did you know you can see 42 (that what I counted and took in pictures yesterday although I’ll double check today!) of them daily if you walk along Gofuku Cho Street?

Actually I double checked and found a few more!
Moreover, the indications to find them were slightly wrong!
You will find all these ukiyo-e and more from along Gofuku Cho Street in Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City, past the first crossing up the street from Gofuku Cho Scrmable, that is where Gofuku-Cho Street crosses the main Street called Egawa Street up the Shizuoka Bank headquarters!

Geisha Visage!

Boy!

Pillared bench!

Dancing Geishas!

Edo Travelers!

Riding Boy!

Mount Fuji overlooking Shizuoka City, formerly called “Fuchu” or “Sumpu”!

Ball Bench!

Hole and rest Bench!

Ring Bench!

Handle Bench!

Alright, let me take you back to the Wood Block Prints!

Pedestal 11) Two-sword Samurai!

Wood Block Print 11)
28th Station: Mitsuke (Tenryuu, presently Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture)!

Pedestal 12) Traveling Woman!

Wood Block Print 129
30th Station: Maisaka (presently part of Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture)!

Pedestal 13) Porter!

Wood Block Print 13)
31st Station: Arai (presently part of Kosai City, Shizuoka Prefecture)!

pedestal 14) Sitting Woman!

Wood Block Print 14)
35th Station: Yoshida (presently part of Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture)!

Pedestal 15) Woman with Umbrella!

Wood Block print 15)
36th Station: Akasaka (presently in Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture)!

Pedestal 16) Traveling Samurais!

Wood Block Print 16)
39th Station: Chiryu (Chiru City, Aichi Prefecture)!

Pedestal 17) Wooden Sword Fencing Practice!

Wood Block print 17)
41st Station: Miya (presently part of Atsuta ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture)!

Pedestal 18) Porter!

Wood Block Print 18)
43rd Station: Yokkaichi (Yokkaichi City, mie Prefecture)!

Pedestal 19) Sword dancer?

Wood Block print 19)
46th Station: Kameyama (Kameayama City, Mie Prefecture)!

Pedestal 20) Child dancer?

Wood Block Print 20)
52nd Station: Kusatsu (Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture)!

To be continued…

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Butterfly by Bernard Buffet in Mishima City!

November 2, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

If you visit Mishima City in the Eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture you ought to visit The Clematis Garden and the Bernard Buffet Museum in one single trip as they are very near each other.
You will be surprised at the amount of art on show!

You will this enormous butterfly statue by Bernard Buffet who also painted the same on a big canvas on show inside the Museum (no pictures allowed there unfortunately but definitely worth a grand visit!

As far as photography is concerned there loads of possibilities!

A side view will make it a hard guess!

Another possibility at an angle from the back!

Can you guess what the next picture of an insect statue might be?

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Skiing Ants in Mishima City!

October 31, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

I’ve just come from a short trip and overnight stay in Mishima City and Izu Peninsula where I had the occasion to discover a few interesting sites!

I didn’t know that ants could ski, but now I ave the proof!
This one was pretty big standing/sliding on a high pedestal in a small park!

I even found a smaller one among the chrysanthemums!

Note that is is completely made of metal with a body formed by a frame around a stone!

This ant must be a lady ant!

The skis!
Stay tuned, more coming!

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Street Statues in Numazu City

October 4, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

People Dance

If you walk along the main street leading from Numazu JR Station to the Numazu harbor you will notice quite a few statues erected by the city with the help of local artists.
Yesterday I took those pictures walking along the right side. There are more on the left side and hope to show some of them soon.
I think this is a great initiative from the city and it does soothe the heart.
Itoh City in northern Izu Prefecture is also a good example I will ave to investigate soon!

It can also be brought to practical uses sometimes as shown by this lost hat somewhat hung onto this cat’s tail!
Just another proof of how peaceful this country is!

Numazu City has always been a very active fishing harbor in Japan and it is full of sea birds!

Caught under the tree shade from another angle. I’m sure professional photographers would come up with an infinity of possibilities!

Energetic and happy dance!

Another gull about to take off?

Or just landed?

An imposing big-shoed teacher of matron?

Will walk along the left side of the street next time!

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Edo Era Travelers in Shizuoka City (Sumpu)!

September 18, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

The City of Shizuoka (as of the Prefecture) was always called so, but until the end of the beginning of the modern era it was called Sumpu/駿府.
The city grew in importance when the Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa/徳川家康 decided to retire there in the beginning of the 17th Century.
There used to be a castle called Sumpu Jyou/駿府城 but the later Shogun ordered it to be burnt.
In recent years a two-third size copy has been (and is still) built as faithfully as possible.
This makes for a very interesting venue as it includes parks, a museum and an event space.

Now, if you walk along the moat behind Shizuoka University Junior School you will espy some people sitting on a bench just beyond a traditional lantern tower!

Can you see them?

They are not people but statues!

Bronze Statue of Yaji-Kita
弥次喜多銅像

Actually it is a modern statue of two main characters of “Tokaidochu Hiza-kuri-ge (Travels on Foot on the Tokaido),”
Yaji (left) and Kita (right), a story/play written 200 years ago by Jippensha Ikku!
An ideal spot to take pictures of the past as the statues faithfully represent two people of the Edo Era, a time when travelers walked all the way from Yedo/Tokyo to Sumpu (174 km)!

Yaji!

Note that the garb is taht of typical travelers of the time.

the gentle face of a grand old man!

Kita!

Obviously the face of a younger and more exhuberant companion!

The “chonmage/丁髷/hair knot” in fashion then!

In that time men used to shave their pate unless they were practically becoming bald! LOL

Everyday necessities were carried in small boxes.

Tobacco box and pipe.
Note the footwear!

Sandal and calf wear.

The moat and pavement.

Will report on Sumpu Castle next time!

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The Wine Wankers by Stuart in Australia!
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
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Japan Tourism: The 57 “Red Berets” at Kansyouin Temple in Mariko, Shizuoka City!

October 29, 2012 dragonlife 4 Comments

“Red Berets” or “Stooges?

The other day when I was strolling at the foot of the mountains surrounding Mariko I happened onto an unusual site!

It was just between the post indicating the old Kanshyouin Temple/歓昌院 and the actual entrance gate.

Stop and approach?

There no less than 57 small statues, all different with their heads covered with knitted red berets!
Of course this is all religion lore and I’m not going to talk about the reasons behind the phenomenon, but some of the statues were really interesting for their features!
Here are a few I chose for their more intriguing expressions!