color woodcut, paper, 40x27 cm, signed by the artist; in the margin, the publisher’s seal and the artisans’ marks: carved by Endo, printed by Itakura
A view of the plum garden in Kamata in early spring; the trees are covered with buds and blossoms. Visitors stroll through the grounds, admiring the flowers or resting at tea stalls. The palanquin on the right suggests that a traveler has just stopped to rest, leaving his robe on a cushion inside. A beautiful composition with delicate bokashi shading.
In 1856, Hiroshige began work on his last major series and masterpiece,“One Hundred Famous Views of Edo.” The series consists of 118 vertical woodblock prints depicting Hiroshige’s classic landscapes. From spring cherry blossoms to summer fireworks, from tranquil scenes along the river to boisterous festival celebrations—Hiroshige captured life in old Edo in a dramatic and compelling way. In many of his prints, Hiroshige employed an innovative compositional technique, using large foreground elements to frame a distant view in the background. Beautifully printed with delicate bokashi shading, the “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” series remains popular to this day as one of Hiroshige’s great masterpieces and features some of his most memorable images.
This classic design was reproduced by the renowned Tokyo publisher Oedo Mokuhansha during a period of renewed interest in ukiyo-e (the second half of the 20th century). Like many other traditional businesses, the craft of woodblock printing has been passed down from generation to generation, and Oedo Mokuhansha was founded by the descendants of an Edo-period publisher. These are beautiful prints of the highest quality and an excellent choice for those seeking high-quality reprints of old woodblock prints.
Hiroshige Andō, also known as Hiroshige Utagawa, is one of Japan’s most famous painters and printmakers. His father, Andō Genuemon, was a low-ranking samurai and an officer in the fire brigade. From the age of sixteen, Hiroshige trained in the studio of Utagawa Toyohira, under whose guidance he developed his skills and talent. The young Hiroshige soaked up the artistic atmosphere while also helping out with the day-to-day operations of his father’s brigade. It wasn’t until he was 27 that he decided to devote himself entirely to his artistic career. After his teacher’s death in 1822, he was offered the chance to take over his master’s studio, but Hiroshige declined the offer and chose to work independently. Hiroshige’s artistic output has not yet been fully cataloged, but it is estimated that he produced approximately 5,000 works, primarily in the technique of color woodblock printing. He began his career with portraits of beautiful women (bijin-ga) and depictions of kabuki actors (yakusha-e), but after his teacher’s death, he focused primarily on native landscapes. Hiroshige came from a samurai family, yet he identified with the bourgeois culture of Edo. He became famous primarily as the creator of landscape series such as: Fifty-Three Stations on the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi no uchi), One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei), and Sixty-Nine Stations on the Kisokaidō (Kisokaidō rokujūkyū tsugi no uchi). He masterfully depicted landscapes at various times of the year and day, and was fascinated by weather phenomena. He experimented with effects and composition, employing unconventional foreshortening. A distinctive feature of his work is his depiction of atmospheric phenomena such as snowfall, rain, gales, and storms. He was also fascinated by the phenomenon of shadow and its effects, both in landscapes and in domestic interiors.
