100 Views of Edo # 2 By Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: 100 Views of Edo # 2 - Kasumigaseki

1st Publication: January 1857

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

Date of this edition: January 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Carver: Hori-Sen

Condition: Vertical center fold now repaired and flattened. A tiny bit of paper residue left on the upper corner from prior mounting. Very good color and overall condition

Notes: Great print, great colors, splendid wood marks from the original block, a real masterpiece from this 100 views of Edo serie.

More about this print: Hiroshige depicts traditional symbols and activities of the New Year, one of Japan's most important annual festivals. To the right appears the vertical slice of a gate pine (kadomatsu), a traditional New Year's decoration, which also organizes the scene to suggest a Noh drama stage set. At the center is a somber procession of street theater performers climbing the slope known as Kasumigaseki. Two manzai artists, who perform celebratory chants and dances for samurai families, observe them. Kites fly above; one is inscribed with the name of the publisher of the series, which translates as "fishmonger."