100 Views of Edo # 54 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: Benkei Moat from Soto-Sakurada to Kôjimachi (Soto Sakurada Benkeibori Kôjimachi), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: April 1856

Size: Vertical oban; 33.5 x 21.9 cm (13 3/16 x 8 5/8 in.)

Date of this edition: April 1856

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Upper corners restored, some color fading, else fine. Good to very good overall condition.

More about this print: This broad, gently curving stretch of water represents a segment of the great inner moat of Edo Castle. The red-gated mansion to the upper left belonged to Ii Naosuke, one of the shogun's closest political advisers. It was along the road to the lower left that he was assassinated by a group of hotheaded young loyalist samurai as he proceeded from his mansion to Edo Castle on a snowy day in early 1860.

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.