{Inter} Cultural Japan

A lost sketchbook / travel diary by ukiyo-e artist Hiroshige has recently surfaced in the United States, as the Daily Yomiuri Online reports. Called Koshu Nikki Shaseicho (“Diary and Sketches of Koshu”), it is only one of two sketchbooks in existence by Hiroshige, so it is an important find. The sketchbook dates from November 1841 when Hiroshige was travelling in what is now Yamanashi Prefecture and contains 18 sketches and a travel diary. The sophisticated sketches fully express the Hiroshige style, according to experts. The diary describes how Hiroshige, who was already famous at the time, was feted by local officials. The artist obviously enjoyed good food and sake.

[Misaka Pass in Kai Province (Hiroshige)]

The diary was discovered by Shinya Ichikawa, a researcher at the Bato Hiroshige Museum of Art in Tochigi Prefecture (by the way, itself a a fabulous small museum, in a superb design by contemporary architect Kengo Kuma). The important document will be on display at the Chiba City Museum of Art from Sept. 5 to Oct. 9, and then make the rounds of other museums in Japan. The sketchbook is owned by a collector in the United States.

Note: here is a link to translations from comparable diaries by Hiroshige, like the rediscovered work originally in the possession of Edward F. Strange.

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