100 Views of Edo # 9 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: Yatsukôji, inside Suijikai Gate (Suijikai-uchi Yatsukôji), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: November 1857

Size: Vertical ôban; 35.9 x 24.6 cm (14 1/8 x 9 11/16 in.)

Date of this edition: 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Slightly trimmed on the left margin, affecting the seal, else very fine. Excellent colors, impression and overall condition.

Notes: Unlike Western plazas, Japanese urban hirokōi, or "broad spaces," were for passage rather than for gathering. Open public space on such a scale was unusual in Edo. Here it was made possible by the demands of constant traffic and by the government's insistence on creating a firebreak. Edo was one of the largest wood-built cities in the world and suffered many fires.

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.