Station 9 -- Tora's Rain at ōiso (ōiso, Tora-ga-ame), from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojÅ«san-tsugi no uchi) c. 1833 - 1834

Curator: This is Utagawa Hiroshige's "Station 9 -- Tora's Rain at Ōiso," part of his series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō," held at the Harvard Art Museums, a woodblock print measuring about 9 by 14 inches. Editor: Immediately, I’m struck by how the artist uses these stark diagonal lines to convey the sheer force of the rain. The wind seems intense. Curator: Hiroshige masterfully uses the diagonal rain to draw our eye through the composition, highlighting the travelers struggling against the elements. It speaks to the difficulties of travel and trade along this important route. Editor: And look at the material vulnerability depicted—those straw raincoats left out to dry, the saturated ground—all rendered with such careful consideration for the woodblock's inherent qualities. How do the printmaking techniques emphasize the raw, physical experience? Curator: Absolutely. The print becomes a document not just of a place, but of the labor and socio-economic realities tied to it. Editor: A potent reminder that even seemingly picturesque scenes are rooted in the daily grind of existence. Curator: Precisely. It makes one consider how Hiroshige navigates between romanticizing and realistically portraying the Tōkaidō experience.