100 Views of Edo # 87 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: 100 Views of Edo # 87 Benten Shrine, Inokashira Pond

1st Publication: April 1856

Size: 8-3/4 x 13-1/2 for the image + margins as shown

Date of this edition: April 1856

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Yellow Color faded, upper left corner loss, upper right corner creased. Very good impression and overall condition.

Notes: Inokashira Pond is intimately associated with Edo as the earliest source of its regular water supply. The Kanda Aqueduct, built in the early seventeenth century, carried its spring-fed waters to the city.

The orientation of the geography here suggests a blending of two different points of view. The pond itself is represented as seen from the northwest, while both the mountains in the distance and the shrine to the goddess Benten in the foreground are shown as seen from the south. In the case of the shrine, the southern perspective enables a frontal view that emphasizes the shrine's importance.

Pictures: Pictures are taken outdoor, in the shade, to reflect true colors, without any enhancements of any kind. The last picture is taken indoor, with a light behind the print, to reveal the exact paper grain, holes if any, or other possible flaws.