100 Views of Edo # 91 Deluxe Edition by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: 100 Views of Edo # 91 - Inside Akiba Shrine, Ukeji

1st Publication: August 1857

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

Date of this edition: 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: A Stain in the left margin above the seal, and a vertical crease by the rigth margin now flattened. Very good colors and overall condition.

Notes: This print is a deluxe edition, with mica on the river barges section print, as seen on pictures.

More about this print: In this view of Akiba Shrine in the village of Ukeji, Hiroshige again uniquely handles a Western visual effect: the reflection of trees in water. The artist has carefully muted the colors of the trees as they appear in reflection so that the green of the pines is lightened and the red of the maples is softened to a light pink.

Perhaps by coincidence, the bright red of the maple leaves is appropriate to the nature of the deity worshiped at this site: the god of Akiba Shrine, who protects against fire. The red pigment used for the maples here is different from the red lead or iron oxide that has blackened in numbers 88 and 94, so this is the only print in the series in which the original glory of the autumn colors can still be fully enjoyed.

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.