The stunning landscapes and glimpses of otherworldly beauty that won Utagawa Hiroshige a name as one of Japan's most famous artists are to go on show in Rome.
The capital will play host to over 200 artworks by Hiroshige (1797-1858), who is considered one of the greatest figures in the tradition of ukiyo-e, meaning ''pictures of the floating world''.
Ukiyo-e often featured themes outside the rigid strictures of Japanese society, exploring pleasurable pursuits such as theatres, restaurants and teahouses, as well as figures such as actors and courtesans.
But Hiroshige, along with his greatest rival Katsushika Hokusai, helped fuel an expansion of interest into the natural beauties of Japan's outdoor world.
Like many artists in the ukiyo-e tradition, Hiroshige frequently produced works in serial form, which were converted into affordable prints using woodblocks.
Despite being an artist apprentice from the age of 15 in 1811, his earlier, more conventional work, attracted little attention.
It would take another 20 years before Hiroshige found his calling with his 1831 landscape series, Famous Views of the Eastern Capital, which enjoyed great critical success.
The following year, he completed a 500km-trip along the Takaido Road, which inspired his second series, The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido.
This series, which includes a variety of landscapes - as shorelines, a snowy mountain range, lakes and villages - is today one of the series he is best known for.
The Rome exhibition will offer visitors an extensive selection of works from the Honolulu Academy of Art, including many of the colourful prints that were the main form of ukiyo-e.
The deliberately quiet, understated scale of the work is designed to contrast with some of the dramatic peaks and gorges of nature that is its subject.
The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido is the focus of one of the exhibit's five sections. Others group together images of Edo (now Tokyo), a series from a journey to Kyoto, the natural world and a selection of prints from the Japanese provinces.
The exhibit will be on display in Rome's Museo del Corso from March 17 until June 7, after which it will travel to London's Dulwich Picture Gallery for a three-month run.
