Japanese Meiji Period Woodblock Print Triptych of the Tokyo-Yokohama Railway by Utagawa Hiroshige III, c.1875

Story

In 1872, Japan opened its very first railway line connecting Tokyo and Yokohama, transforming a day-long walk into a 53-minute marvel. Artists rushed to document these fire-breathing iron horses, which symbolized the country's dramatic leap into the modern industrial world.

Maker / Origin

Utagawa Hiroshige III (1842–1894) was a pupil of the legendary landscape master Hiroshige. He became one of the primary visual chroniclers of the Meiji Restoration, capturing the dramatic architectural and technological shifts of Tokyo as it transformed from a feudal capital into a modern metropolis.

Condition & Value

The prints are presented as three separate panels mounted onto a modern folding backing paper. There is some light toning, minor creasing, and evidence of historical backing removal on the reverse of the sheets, but the colors remain remarkably bright and stable. The lack of severe trimming to the borders preserves its value.