100 Views of Edo # 36 Deluxe Edition by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: View from Massaki of Suijin Shrine, Uchigawa Inlet, and Sekiya (Massaki-hen yori Suijin no mori Uchigawa Sekiya no sato o miru zu), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: August 1857

Size: Vertical ôban; 36 x 25.2 cm (14 3/16 x 9 15/16 in.)

Date of this edition: August 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Remnants from prior mounting, multiple repairs, stains. Very good colors and impression, fair overall condition

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

More about this print: Late in an early spring day, we sit on the second floor of one of the teahouses in front of Massaki Inari Shrine, savoring the dengaku—small squares of skewered tofu brushed with a sweet miso sauce and grilled over charcoal—that was the famed signature dish of these restaurants. We have here reversed directions from the previous print and are now on the west side of the Sumida River looking northeast. Suijin Shrine is just visible in the grove of trees to the right. In the distance we see the Uchigawa Inlet, the Sekiya plains, and the twin peaks of Mount Tsukuba.

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.