100 Views of Edo # 84 Deluxe 1st Edition by Ando Hiroshige

Additional Pictures: Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Print Title: Grandpa's Teahouse, Meguro (Meguro Jijigachaya), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: April 1857

Size: Oban: 8 5/8" x 13 5/8" (21.9 x 34.2 cm)

Date of this edition: April 1857, 1st Edition

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Trimmed to the margins on the lower, and upper side of the print, partially on the right and left side, affecting the seals. Very good colors and impression.

Notes: Very rare 1st edition with bokashi in the roof top area, and sunset below the mountains. It is similar to this one : Tokyo Museum Edition, or this one : MFA Edition

More about this print: The winding path depicted here, leading down to the Meguro River, is called Teahouse Slope. According to one story, the third shogun, Iemitsu, stopped by here while hunting and was graciously served by an elderly couple at their small teahouse, thereafter known as Jijigachaya, or Grandpa's Teahouse.

A separate account involves the eighth shogun, Yoshimune, and speaks of two teahouses, one named for Grandpa and the other for Grandma, with the latter located at the top of the hill. In this view, Grandpa's Teahouse is on the lower right; Grandma's Teahouse would have been out of sight above to the left.

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.