100 Views of Edo # 31 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: Azuma Shrine and the Entwined Camphor (Azuma no mori Renri no azusa), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: July 1856

Size: Vertical oban; 33.5 x 22.1 cm (13 3/16 x 8 11/16 in.)

Date of this edition: 1856

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Trimmed to the margins, else very fine. Excellent colors and impression, 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.