100 Views of Edo # 15 Deluxe Edition by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: 100 Views of Edo #15 Suwa Bluff, Nippori

1st Publication: May 1856

Size: 13-1/2 x 8-7/8 + Margins as shown

Date of this edition: May 1856, 1st Deluxe Impression

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Carver: Hori-Sen

Condition: Backed on an acid free paper. Some trimming, especially in the upper left margin. Some thin areas. Faded colors. Strong visible wood grain, 1st printing. Fair overall condition.

Notes: This is an extremely rare first edition, Deluxe edition with Mica in the floor area. Usually, this technique was reserved for good customer or prestigious people, as the technology was fairly new, expensive and difficult to master. Great print, great colors, splendid wood marks from the original block, mica, a real masterpiece from this 100 views of Edo series.

More about this print: Suwa Shrine was located just across the road from the rear entrance of the temple depicted in the previous print, right on the edge of the Suwa Bluff, to which it lent its name. From within the shrine precincts, a broad panorama opened to the northeast.

In the far distance are the silhouettes of two mountain groups that appear several times in this series. To the right is the twin-peaked Mount Tsukuba, which appears eleven times in the series, the western Male Peak usually shown higher than the Female Peak even though it is actually twenty feet lower

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.