100 Views of Edo # 29 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: Moto-Hachiman Shrine, Sunamura (Sunamura Motohachiman), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: April 1856

Size: Vertical ôban; 36.1 x 24.1 cm (14 3/16 x 9 1/2 in.)

Date of this edition: April 1856

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Yellow color faded, converting the green into blue. Soiling, rubbing, creases, remnants from prior mounting (Paper), repaired crack in the bottom of the print. Fair to poor overall condition.

More about this print: In this composition delicately balancing land and water, Hiroshige has hidden from direct view the main object of attraction in the Sunamura area, the Moto-Hachiman Shrine. Only a stone torii, or gate, marking its entrance from the south and a tiny segment of a subshrine that lies behind Hiroshige's signature to the left are visible.

The viewpoint is from within the shrine precincts, in front and a bit to the right of the main hall. The pine-lined road that passes by the entrance effectively captures the sense of being at the edge of the water.

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.