100 Views of Edo # 78 Deluxe 1st Edition by Ando Hiroshige

Additional Pictures:



Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Print Title: Teppôzu and Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple (Teppôzu Tsukiji Monzeki), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei), here called One Hudred Views of Edo for Entertainment (Edo hyakkei yokyô)

1st Publication: July 1858

Size: Vertical ôban; 35.9 x 24.6 cm (14 1/8 x 9 11/16 in.)

Date of this edition: July 1858, 1st edition

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Trimmed to the margins on the lower, upper and left side of the print, affecting the seals. Very good colors and impression.

Notes: Very rare 1st edition with 3 colors in the title cartouche. Deluxe edition with Mica in the roof 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: In the distance along the Teppōzu shore is the great Nishi Honganji Temple, the headquarters of one of two rival Buddhist sects. Its main hall was one of the largest buildings in Edo and a familiar landmark both on land and at sea.

This print and the following one bear the anomalous series title Edo hyakkei yokyō. Although it is unclear exactly how to interpret the meaning of the suffix yokyō, which tends to suggest "side entertainment" or "diversion," the most likely explanation is that after the series had reached its promised quota of a hundred views, additional prints began to be issued as "extra entertainment."

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.