100 Views of Edo # 19 Deluxe Edition by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: 100 Views of Edo # 19: Dam on the Otonashi River at Ôji

1st Publication: February 1857

Size: 13-3/8 X 9 + Margins as shown

Date of this edition: February 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Carver: Hori-Sen

Condition: Magins partially trimmed, affecting the seals. Clear spots in the upper corners. A couple of pin holes. A few black stains in the lower section of the print, as seen on pictures, and in the margins. Very good impression, some color fading from prior mounting. Fair to good overall condition.

Notes: Great print, Deluxe edition with Mica in near the river area. Usually, this technique was reserved for good customer or prestigious people, as the technology was fairly new, expensive and difficult to master; Splendid wood marks from the original block, a real masterpiece from this 100 views of Edo serie.

More about this print: This dam was built in 1657 to control the stretch of the Shakujii River known as the Otonashi and to divert part of the flow into irrigation canals leading through fertile rice paddies.

This stretch of the river is one of several place names in the Ōji area that were borrowed from the Kumano region to the west of Edo in the Kii Peninsula, in deference to the dedication of Ōji Gongen Shrine to the gods of Kumano. Ōji Gongen Shrine still stands on the bluff across the Otonashi River from Asukayama, or just to the right of the point where Hiroshige has placed us in this view.

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.