Hiroshige II's series 'Sixty-eight Views of the Various Provinces (Shokoku rokujū-hakkei)' (1862)


Introduction

This page attempts to catalog all known prints in Hiroshige II's series 'Shokoku rokujū-hakkei (諸国 六十八 景 - Sixty-eight Views of the Various Provinces)'.

The series title is in the rectangular cartouche in the top right corner,the caption of each individual print is in the square cartouche to its left. The smaller red or yellow cartouches in the body of the image identify specific features shown in the image.

The series dates from the end of middle period of Hiroshige II's career, when he was about thirty-six years old. At this point, he was still using the name 'Hiroshige', since his master Hiroshige I had died (in 1858), and Hiroshige II had taken over the 'Hiroshige'; the prints in this series are signed 'Hiroshige'.

Many of the images in this series are closely based on those in the well-known Hiroshige I series Famous Views of the 60-odd Provinces, or the prior Hiroshige II series Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces. Such prints are indicated with a '60' (for the Hiroshige I series) or '100' (for the Hiroshige II series) in the 'Copy' column in the table below.

Note: This page was produced using other sources for most of the material, in particular a series of catalogs from a number of Japanese print dealers. The information on this page, and in particular the captions, may therefore contain errors. The print numbers have been checked fairly well, though, and those can probably be relied upon.


Technical details


The Prints

To see a larger, roughly full-screen, image of any print, if there is one available, please click on the thumbnail; these images are sized to produce reasonable detail (if we have an original that big), and are fairly compressed.

If we have a higher-quality image, that image can be viewed by clicking on the "Large Image" link, which gives the size of the image (for the benefit of those on slow links). Sometimes there is more than one, if our best-quality image has issues (e.g. trimmed margins).


Images Large Image Number Copy Title (Kanji) Title (Rōmaji) Title (English) Description
#1 60 山城 あらし やま Yamashiro Arashi-yama Mount Arashi, Yamashiro Province The bridge portrayed in this image is the famous Moon Crossing Bridge (Togetsukyō - 渡月橋) over the Hozu River on the western outskirts of Kyōto.

Written in kan-ji, the name of the mountain would be 嵐 山.

#2 No 大和 生駒 崛 Yamato Ikoma kutsu High and lofty Ikoma, Yamato Province This seems to be a portrayal of Mount Ikoma (on the left). Although that name is now written with the characters 生駒, the caption seems to use other (unidentified, possibly archaic) characters.

The temple in the lower right seems to be the Hōzan-ji (宝山寺) shrine.

#3 60 河内 枚方 Kawachi Hirakata Hirakata, Kawachi Province The river is not explicitly identified, but is the Yodo River, which flows through modern Hirakata (here, the village on the left; the one on the right is Tatatsuki).

The low ridge on the right seems to be Taguchiyama (田口山), now a suburb of Hirakata. The higher mountain directly behind it is likely Mount Otoko (commonly known as Mount Yawata), but the character in the name cartouche is unidentified. The mountain in the back left seems to be Mt. Hira (ひら, in kanji 比良).

#4 No 和泉 吹飯 浦 Izumi Fukei (no) ura Fukei Bay, Izumi Province Although several different references in Japanese give as the second kanji in this title, others disagree, and give the one we use.
#5 No 摂津 大坂 川口 Settsu Osaka (no) kawaguchi The river-mouth at Osaka, Settsu Province The name of the city is now usually written with the characters 大阪.
#6 No 伊賀 名張 Iga Nabari Nabari, Iga Province It is not clear exactly what is shown here; it might be the Shorenji River, or possibly the Akame Shijuhattaki waterfalls.
#7 No 伊勢 鈴鹿 嶺 Ise Suzuka (no) mine The summit at Suzuka, Ise Province The 'Suzuka' referred to here is probably the Suzuka Mountains, not the nearby town of the same name.
There are a number of temples in the region; it is not clear which one is shown here.
650KB #8 No 志摩 磯部 嶽 Shima Isobe (no) take The peak at Isobe, Shima Province This scene seems to not be in Isobe itself, but rather in the mountains nearby.
#9 No 尾張 松風 里 Owari Matsukaze (no) sato Matsukaze Village, Owari Province Matsukaze is a common name in Japan; literally translated, it means 'wind in the pines'.
#10 No 三河 御油 駅 Mikawa Goyu eki Goyu station, Mikawa Province Goyu was the 35th station on the Tōkaidō.

Some sources read the location as 御津 澤 (Mito-sawa), but this seems not to be correct - the calligraphy of the place name on this print is a very close match for that of this station on various Tōkaidō prints.

None of the places named in the print have been read, including the mountain (yama) in the lower left.

#11 No 遠江 江金 浦 Tōtōmi ? (no) ura ? Bay, Tōtōmi Province One source gives the reading of this name as 'Eura Bay', but that seems to ignore the middle character.

Some sources give the last character as , but that seems less likely than the one given; the latter's meaning of 'bay' makes it seem more plausible, given the image.

None of the places named in the print have been read.

#12 No 駿河 久能 山 Suruga Kuno-zan Mount Kuno, Suruga Province The shrine shown in this image is probably the Tōshō-gū shrine on the mountain, Kunozan Tōshō-gū, although this is not indicated directly.
#13 60 甲斐 猿はし Kai Saru-hashi Monkey Bridge, Kai Province Known for its unique design, the name comes from what legend attributes to be its original builders. No columns are used to support the bridge, as the valley is too steep to use piers; instead, four layers of support beams protruding from the cliff face hold it up. It is one of 'Japan's Three Odd Bridges'.

The last element of the name is usually written with the character .

#14 No 伊豆 伊呂尾 崎 Izu Irō-zaki Cape Irō, Izu Province There is now a famous lighthouse on this cape.

There are instances of this print in mostly blue hues, fitting for the night scene portrayed here; a small image of one may be seen here.

The name of this location is now usually written with the characters 石廊 埼.

#15 No 相模 名古 江 Sagami ?-kō ? Creek, Sagami Province Although several different references in Japanese give these kanji as the reading of this caption, it has not been possible to identify the location.

Some sources give the first character of the location name as .

#16 No 武蔵 金沢 Musashi Kanazawa Kanazawa, Musashi Province The castle town of Kanazawa was several kilometres from the ocean during the Edo Period, so this is probably the fishing port that is portrayed.

There are instances of this print in mostly blue hues, fitting for the night scene portrayed here; a small image of one may be seen here.

The name of the province is often written with the second character .

#17 No 安房 鋸やま Awa Nokogiri-yama Sawtooth Mountain, Awa Province (Chiba) Its location at the tip of the Bōsō Peninsula, which forms the Eastern arm of Tōkyō Bay, means that Saw Mountain is a popular viewing location. It also contains Nihon Temple (日本寺, Nihon-ji).
#18 No 上總 白鳥 山 Kazusa Shiratori-yama (possibly Shiratori-san) White Bird Mountain, Kazusa Province It is not clear if this is the name of the location, or of a temple at that location.
There is a temple, the Jōtoku-ji (浄徳 寺) in that approximate location (Chōnan-machi, Chiba Prefecture - 千葉 長南町), with that name as a san-gō, and it is unclear if that (and the caption) refers to a mountain at the location of the temple, or another White Bird Mountain (there are several other famous ones in Japan).

The name of the province is now usually written with the second character .

#19 No 上總 外浦 Kazusa Soto-ura Outer Beach, Kazusa Province This is a fairly common name, and there are other famous beaches in Japan with the same name.

The name of the province is now usually written with the second character .

#20 100 常陸 筑波山 Hitachi Tsukuba-san Mount Tsukuba, Hitachi Province The double peak of Mount Tsukuba is somewhat exaggerated in this image, compared to the real mountain.

The name is sometimes written with the characters 築波.

#21 100 近江 摺針 嶺 Ōmi Surihari (no) mine The summit at Surihari, Ōmi Province The name of this location is now usually written with the characters 摺汁.
#22 100 美濃 落合 ばし Mino Ochiai-bashi Ochiai Bridge, Mino Province
#23 No 飛騨 乗鞍 岳 Hida Norikura-dake Norikura Peak, Hida Province The name of the province is often written with the very slightly different second character .
#24 No 信濃 久米路 橋 Shinano Kume-ji (no) hashi Bridge on the Kume Road, Shinano Province
#25 No 上野 中ノ嶽 Kōzuke Naka-no-dake Naka Peak, Kōzuke Province The name of this mountain is often written with the character for no.
#26 60 下野 裏見 の 滝 Shimotsuke Urami no taki Urami Waterfall, Shimotsuke Province The Urami falls (actually a series of cascades and falls) are one of the most significant in the area. Since they is located in a small valley, it is very quiet and cool there, even in the summer. The name literally means 'to see from the back', since these falls can be viewed from either the front or the back.

The very famous poet Matsuo Bashō produced a well-known poem on the subject of these falls.

#27 No 奥陸 柳津 Mutsu Yanaizu Yanaizu, Mutsu Province Even today Yanaizu is a small country town.

For some reason the name of the province has been written backwards here; it is normally written 陸奥.
The first character in the location's name may have been misread; it might possibly be .

#28 100 出羽 鳥海 山 Dewa Chōkai-san Mount Chōkai, Dewa Province The jagged peak of Mount Chokai is prominent in this image.
#29 No 若狭 松尾 山 Wakasa Matsuo-yama Mount Matsuo, Wakasa Province
#30 No 越前 等仭 坊 Echizen Tōjinbō Tōjinbō, Echizen Province The name of the famous Tōjinbō cliffs are now usually written with the characters 東尋坊.
#31 No 加賀 白屋満 Kaga Haku-yama Mount Haku, Kaga Province Mount Haku's name in Japanese is usually Haku-san, written with the characters 白山.
#32 No 能登 福浦 湊 Noto Fukuura (no) minato Fukuura Harbour, Noto Province Fukuura is still a working harbour today; it is now the base for a large fishing fleet from the months of September through May.
409KB #33 No 越中 青城山 Etchū ?-yama ? Mountain, Etchū Province Although several different references in Japanese give these kanji as the reading of this caption, it has not been possible to identify the location. One possible reading of the name is "Aoiki".
435KB #34 No 越後 能生 社 Echigo ? (no) yashiro ? Shrine, Echigo Province Although several different references in Japanese give these kanji as the reading of this caption, it has not been possible to identify the location. One possible reading of the name is "Kumafu".

Some sources give the first character of the location name as .

#35 No 佐渡 金 やま Sado kin-yama Gold Mountain, Sado Province The mining of gold was a major industry on Sado Island during the Edo Period.
#36 No 丹波 鬼城 Tamba ? ?, Tamba Province Although several different references in Japanese give these kanji as the reading of this caption, it has not been possible to identify the location.

Some sources give the characters 丹後 (Tango) for the province name, but this is not correct.

473KB #37 See Note 1 丹後 天はし立 Tango Ama-no-Hashidate Ama-no-Hashidate, Tango Province The Ama-no-Hashidate Peninsula is one of the most famous natural features in Japan; its name can be translated as 'Passage to Heaven' or 'Bridge to Heaven'.

Its name is usually written with the characters 天橋立.

788KB #38 60 但馬 岩井谷 Tajima Iwai-ya Iwai Valley, Tajima Province Shown here is the Kannon Cave, which is part of the Jugen Monastery on Mount Iwaya; the rapids at the bottom are the Gamō River.
#39 60 因幡 加路 小やま Inaba Karo Koyama Karo on Lake Koyama, Inaba Province There is a certain amount of confusion as to the exact reading and meaning (and thus the translation) of this caption. It is exactly the same (uses almost the same characters) as a print in the Hiroshige series 'Famous Views of the 60-odd Provinces', but different sources give different readings for that title.

Some sources read the "koyama" as a place-name, and there is a 'Koyama Pond' (actually, a small lake) in Inaba Province (now Tottori Prefecture), although its name is normally now written with different character for 'ko' (); written with the characters given here, it also means 'small mountain'.
Also, the second character in the placename can be read as either "RO" or "ji", although the latter reading is normally used for names only.

The meaning given here has been preferred until more definitive information can be obtained.

#40 No 伯耆 美徳山 Hōki Mitoku-yama Mount Mitoku, Hōki Province The name is now often written with the characetrs 三徳.
#41 100 出雲 広瀬 Izumo Hirose Hirose, Izumo Province Hirose is still a small village.

The river has not yet been identified.

#42 No 石見 高津 山 Iwami Takatsu-yama Mount Takatsu, Iwami Province The name is sometimes given as Mount Takazuno.
#43 100 隠岐 焚火 社 Oki Takibi (no) yashiro Takibi Shrine, Oki Province
802KB #44 No 播磨 瀧野 Harima Takino Takino, Harima Province The name of Takino is now usually written with the characters 滝野.

The rapids shown in the image are likely the Fighting Dragon Rapids (Tōryū-nada, 闘龍灘), on the Kakogawa River (Kakogawa no kawa, 加古川 の川 or Kakogawa kasen, 加古川 河川).
Even though the area around them has been substantially built up, the rapids themselves still look much as they did in this image.

#45 60 美作 山伏谷 Mimasaka Yamabushi-dami Yamabushi Valley, Mimasaka province The image shows the giant rock called Jizō-iwa (地藏岩 地蔵), named in honour of the Bodhisattva Jizo, the Buddhist guardian deity of children. There are several large rocks in Japan named in his honour.

The river is the Tsuyama River (Tsuyama-gawa, 津山 川), a tributary of the Yoshii River (Yoshii-gawa, 吉井 川).

#46 No 備前 前戸渡 Bizen Fujito-watari Fujito Crossing, Bizen Province
#47 No 備中 酒津 川 Bitchū Sazuka-gawa Sazuka River, Bitchū Province
480KB #48 No 備後 鞆津 Bingo Tomo(no)tsu Tomonotsu, Bingo Province Tomonotsu, now called Tomonoura (鞆の浦), is one of the major ports in Bingo Province.
787KB #49 No 安芸 音戸 Aki Ondo Ondo, Aki Province Ondo is located on Kurahashi Island (Kurahashi-jima, 倉橋 島), with the Ondo no Seto strait (音戸 の 瀬戸), which links Kure Bay and the open sea, between it and the city of Kure on the mainland. Natural tidal currents flow through the strait quite fast, at speeds of up to five knots.

The small memorial seen on the small island is probably the Kiyomori memorial (Kiyomori-zuka, 清盛塚), built in the Muromachi Period to commemorate Taira no Kiyomori (平 の 清盛), an important Japanese historical figure who worked to deepen the Ondo no Seto channel; it is still there today.
#50 No 周防 室積 Suō Morozumi Morozumi, Suō Province
#51 No 長門 赤間関 Nagato Akama-(ga)-seki Akamagaseki, Nagato Province Akamagaseki is now named Shimonoseki (下関); the name was formally changed in 1902, after pressure on the government from local inhabitants.
#52 60 紀伊 和歌 之 浦 Kii Waka no ura Waka Bay, Kii Province Like many Japanese compound placenames, 'Wakanouri' has become a word in its own right, now usually written with the characters 和歌の浦.
380KB #53 No 淡路 累浜 Awaji ? ? Harbour, Awaji Province Although several different references in Japanese give these kanji as the reading of this caption, it has not been possible to identify the location. One possible reading of the name is "Ruigahama".

One source gives as the last character in the name, but this seems less likely than the one shown, which means 'coast' or 'beach'.

#54 See Note 1 阿波 北泊 小 鳴戸 Awa Kitadomari ko Naruto Kitadomari Inlet at Naruto, Awa Province The whirlpool at Naruto (Naruto no uzushio, 鳴門 の 渦潮) is still a popular scenic attraction.

The caption seems to contain a common Japanese homonym character play - the character used for 'ko' is not the normal one for 'inlet', but a different one (meaning 'small').

#55 No 讃岐 津田浦 Sanuki Tsuda (no) ura Tsuda Bay, Sanuki Province
#56 60 伊豫 石槌山 Iyo Ishizuchi-yama Mount Ishizuchi, Iyo Province The name of Mount Ishizuchi is now usually written with a different second character (石鎚), and the name of the province is now usually written with the characters 伊予.

The castle shown is Sai-ji Castle.

#57 No 土佐 龍串 Tosa Tatsukushi Tatsukushi, Tosa Province Tatsukushi is on the Pacific coast of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four main islands. In this part of the coast, sandstone and mudstone have been deposited in alternating layers; erosion by waves has then created strange and unique rock formations, as seen in this image.
#58 No 筑前 筥崎 Chikuzen Hakozaki Hakozaki, Chikuzen Province Hakozaki is now a suburb on the east side of Fukuoka, in Higashi ward.
687KB #59 No 筑後 簗瀬 Chikugo Yanaze Yanaze, Chikugo Province The Chikugo River, shown here, is the longest river in Kyushu.
#60 See Note 2 豊前 羅かんじ Buzen rakan-ji Rakan Temple, Buzen Province Temples to arhats are common in Japan; this one is in the village of Yabakei. The image shows a famous tunnel called the Ao-no-dōmon (青 の 洞門, literally 'blue tunnel') dug by a penintent monk by hand, using only a hammer and chisel.

The kanji for 'rakan-ji' is normally 羅漢寺.

#61 100 豊後 日田 谷渕 Bungo Hita kama-(ga)-fuchi Whirlpools, Hita, Bungo Province The river may be the Mikuma River that flows through Hita, but the identification is not certain.

Some sources give the first character of the last word in the caption as .

#62 No 肥前 長崎 稲佐山 Hizen Nagasaki Inasa-yama Mount Inasa at Nagasaki, Hizen Province Mount Inasa is still a popular viewing spot overlooking Nagasaki.
#63 No 肥後 球麻 川 Higo Suma-gawa Suma River, Higo Province
411KB #64 No 日向 大島 Hyūga Ō-shima Big Island, Hyūga Province The name of this island (literally translated, 'Ō-shima' means 'Big Island') is a common one in Japan, and although there are several well-known ones of this name in other provinces, this one is more obscure.
#65 No 大隅 桜島 Ōsumi Sakura-jima Mount Sakurajima, Ōsumi Province The profile of Mount Sakurajima, with its multiple peaks, remains the same today, even though it is an active volcano.

The mountain's name literally means 'Sakura Island'; an eruption in 1914 connected it to the mainland of Kyushu, but before that it was a separate island.

#66 See Note 2 薩摩 坊津 Satsuma Bōnotsu Bōnotsu, Satsuma Province Today a scenic fishing village, historically it was a key port for trade with China, including during the 17th century when Japan was technically officially closed off from the world.
#67 60 壱岐 壱作 Iki Shizukuri Shizukuri, Iki Province One source gives the reading of this placename as Shisa, but other sources disagree.
#68 100 対馬 海岸 Tsushima kaigan The coast, Tsushima Province

Notes

  1. Both prior series show this location, but the images are completely different.
  2. The prior Hiroshige I series shows this location, but the image is completely different.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to (in alphabetical order): Mita Arts Gallery and Toshusai Original Ukiyo-E Gallery, whose catalogs were an enormous resource in preparing this page.

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© Copyright 2009-2015 by J. Noel Chiappa and Peter L. Chiappa

Last updated: 4/October/2015