100 Views of Edo # 19 Deluxe Edition by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: Dam on the Otonashi River at Ôji, Popularly Known as "The Great Waterfall" (Ôji Otonashigawa entai, sezoku Ôtaki to tonau), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: February 1857

Size: Vertical ôban; 35.4 x 23.3 cm (13 15/16 x 9 3/16 in.)

Date of this edition: February 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Mild matte burn from prior mounting, remnants also from Prior mounting. Some trimming in the margins, partially affecting the seals. Excellent colors and impression (although the yellow is slightly faded), Very good overall condition.

Notes: This is an extremely rare first edition, Deluxe edition with Mica in the sky and the river bank area. Usually, this technique was reserved for good customer or prestigious people, as the technology was fairly new, expensive and difficult to master. Great print, great colors, visible wood marks from the original block, mica, a real masterpiece from this 100 views of Edo series.

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.