100 Views of Edo # 27 Deluxe Edition by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: 100 Views of Edo # 27 Plum Garden, Kamata (Kamata no Umezono)

1st Publication: February 1857

Size: 8-7/8 x 13-1/4 + Margins as shown

Date of this edition: February 1857, 1st deluxe edition

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Strong Horizontal crease in the center of the print now flattened, but visible crack and repair to it. Green and yellow color faded. Slight margin trim affecting the seals. Great impression, good overall condition.

Notes: There is a very old hand marking in the right margin probably from an edo era collector !

This print is a deluxe edition, with mica on the shaded section of the floor area of the print, as seen on pictures.

This print is among the most famous of the series and very highly sought.

More about this print: The entire Kamata area south of Ômori was known for the cultivation of plum trees and was celebrated more for its early summertime fruits than its springtime blossoms. The gentle beauty of this print tends to distract the viewer from the structure intruding from the right.

It is a cushioned palanquin known as a yamakago ("mountain palanquin"), once widely used for travel in Japan. The overgarment left casually on top suggests that a traveler has recently stopped off for a brief rest from the nearby Tokaido highway that linked Edo to Kyoto

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.