100 Views of Edo # 117 Deluxe Edition by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: Hilltop View, Yushima Tenjin Shrine (Yushima Tenjin sakaue tenbô), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: April 1856

Size: Vertical ôban; 35.8 x 24.5 cm (14 1/8 x 9 5/8 in.)

Date of this edition: April 1956

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Right and lower margins trimmed to the image. Large pinholes in the left margin and left section of the print. Large clear area in the right margin, not visible with a white background, but otherwise visible if the print is sitting on a dark background. remnants from prior backing. Good colors and impression, fair to good overall condition.

Notes: This view is to the northeast from the precincts of Yushima Tenjin Shrine, looking out over the Shinobazu Pond. The main sanctuary of the shrine is off to the left. Pictured is a side approach that could be reached by the two different stone stairways shown here, either the one on the lower right or the one by which the two figures in the center are ascending.

Yushima Tenjin was one of the oldest shrines in Edo and was dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, the patron saint of learning and the arts. It is still devoutly patronized by rich and poor alike. Like many favorite shrines and temples, it served as a major center of recreation in Hiroshige's day.

This is an extremely rare first Deluxe edition with Mica in the pole and wall of the house. Usually, this technique was reserved for good customer or prestigious people, as the technology was fairly new, expensive and difficult to master., with mica in the Pole and wall of the house.

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.