100 Views of Edo # 40 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: Basho's Hermitage and Camellia Hill on the Kanda Aqueduct at Sekiguchi (Sekiguchi josui-bata Bashoan Tsubakiyama), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: April 1857

Size: Vertical ôban; 33.6 x 22 cm (13 1/4 x 8 11/16 in.)

Date of this edition: April 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: A few pin holes in the right margin, else very fine. Exceptional color, impression, and overall condition. Very strong wood grain, very early printing. Fully margin.

More about this print: The hermitage depicted on the hill to the right of the aqueduct in this view belonged to a nearby Zen Buddhist temple and was originally called the Ryūgean. In the late Edo period, it came to be known as "Bashō's Hermitage," after the famous haiku poet (1644–1694) who is said to have briefly lived in this area in the 1670s.

In the early eighteenth century, some disciples of Bashō established a memorial mound to him within the hermitage precinct. Later Bashō Hall, containing images of the poet and his major followers, was built nearby.

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.