100 Views of Edo # 43 by Ando Hiroshige Deluxe 1st Ed.

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Print Title: Nihonbashi Bridge and Edobashi Bridge (Nihonbashi Edobashi), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: December 1857

Size: Vertical ôban; 36.9 x 25.1 cm (14 1/2 x 9 7/8 in.)

Date of this edition: December 1857, 1st edition.

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Mild soiling, else very fine. Fully margin.

Notes: This is a rare Deluxe edition with Mica in the trees area. Usually, this technique was reserved for good customer or prestigious people, as the technology was fairly new, expensive and difficult to master.

This is a very rare 1st edition, with 3 colors in the title cartouche.

More about this print: This print is the first of the summer designs in the series, and like the first part of the spring group it depicts Nihonbashi, the famous bridge at the center of downtown Edo. The fish in the bucket at the lower right represents the famous "first bonito" (a type of tuna) that signified the beginning of summer.

Fishermen competed annually to bring the earliest catch of the bonito schools to the Edo market, knowing that they could command outrageous prices. The appeal lay less in the taste of the fish than in its rarity.

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.