"53 Stages of the Tokaido 東海道五十三次" playing cards

All of the 53 Stages of the Tokaido are used on 55 cards: 52 playing cards + 2 jokers + 1 extra card.
*There are 56 cards: 55 cards for the 53 inns, Nihonbashi (the starting point) and Keishi (the arrival point), and one card with the inns written down in order from east to west.
The reverse side of the playing card features the calligraphy of Yomono Takisui (四方瀧水), Haikai utabo (俳諧歌房), a preface to the Fifty-three Stages of the Tokaido.
*The playing cards are made of paper.

"53 Stages of the Tokaido 東海道五十三次"
The "53 Stages of the Tokaido" is a series of ukiyoe paintings featuring landscapes by Hiroshige Utagawa, one of the most famous ukiyoe artists of the late Edo period.
During the Edo period (1603-1867), the domestic transportation network was improved by the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first barbarian shogun of the Edo shogunate, and the most heavily traveled route was the Tokaido Highway, which enabled people to travel the approximately 500 km from Nihonbashi in Edo (Chuo-ku, Tokyo) to Sanjo Ohashi in Kyoto (Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture) in approximately two weeks.
The name "Tokaido" came from the fact that the route passed near the east coast of Honshu, and inns where travelers ate and stayed were located along the highway.
There were 53 inns on the Tokaido Highway, which were known as the "53 Stages of the Tokaido" (Tokaido Gojusantsugi).

The work "53 Stages of the Tokaido" is composed of 55 ukiyoe, including each of the inn towns, the first at Nihonbashi in Edo, and the last at Sanjo Ohashi in Kyoto.
Each Ukiyoe lyrically depicts the changing seasons and weather, along with famous places, nature, local specialties, and folklore along the Tokaido Highway.
The changing activities of people at different times of the day (morning, noon, and night) and the bustling atmosphere of the inn towns were also popular among the common people who longed to travel, and made them long for a place they had not yet seen.

Present day, the activities, clothing, occupations, and street scenes of the people of the Edo period vividly depicted in the work "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido" are highly valued as historical materials to learn about the period.

About Ukiyoe artist "Hiroshige Utagawa 歌川広重"
Ukiyoe artist Hiroshige Utagawa was a leader in "Meishoe (Landscape paintings of famous places)", ukiyoe depicting famous places throughout Japan, and continued to create various works throughout his life.
Utagawa Hiroshige's work "The 53 Stages of the Tokaido" is so representative that even those unfamiliar with Ukiyo-e have seen it at least once.

What is "Ukiyo-e 浮世絵"?
Ukiyoe is a world-class Japanese art form that has influenced painters outside of Japan.
Ukiyoe is an art form that was originally created in Japan and developed during the Edo period (1603-1868).

As motifs, "busyo-e" depicting military commanders of the previous era, "bijinga" depicting beautiful women in brothels, and "yakusha-e" depicting Kabuki actors, etc., were painted covering the Ukiyo period, and thus came to be called "Ukiyo-e".

"53 Stages of the Tokaido 東海道五十三次" playing cards

52 playing cards + 2 jokers + 1 extra card + 1 inn list card Total 56 cards
*The playing cards are made of paper.
*Ukiyoe designs are printed.
*Paper outer box, in plastic case

Size : Playing cards / about 88㎜ × 58㎜
Outer box / about 100㎜ × 68㎜ × 26㎜

Weight : 125g

1,000 JPY flat rate shipping within Japan, free shipping for purchases totaling 20,000 JPY or more.
Please bear the actual cost for shipping charges outside Japan.