100 Views of Edo # 22 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: Furukawa River, Hiroo (Hiroo Furukawa), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: July 1856

Size: Vertical oban; 34 x 21.9 cm (13 3/8 x 8 5/8 in.)

Date of this edition: July 1856

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

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

More about this print: For an Edo resident purchasing this print in 1856, the chief attraction of this scene of the Hiroo area of southwestern Edo may have been the half-hidden restaurant in the foreground to the left of the river. It was a famous eel restaurant named Owariya in a guide to Edo shops of 1811 and labeled "The Fox" on maps published after 1854. The restaurant had a widespread popularity at the time Hiroshige designed this print.

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.