100 Views of Edo # 31 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: 100 Views of Edo #31 Asuma Shrine and the Entwined Camphor

1st Publication: July 1857

Size: 9 x 13-1/4 + Margins as shown

Date of this edition: July 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Color fading, Yellow and pink color seems to be added posthumously. Good overall condition.

More about this print: It is dusk on a spring day. A flock of birds crosses the dimming northeast sky as two boats pass each other below on the canal. The surface of the path to the Azuma Shrine is bathed in yellow, reflecting the late afternoon sun.

Across the small bridge at the entrance to the shrine is the giant split trunk of the sacred tree known as the Entwined Camphor. The tree recalls an ancient legend about the mythical lovers Prince Yamato Takeru and Princess Ototachibana.

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.