100 Views of Edo #6 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: 100 Views of Edo #6 Hatsune Riding Grounds

1st Publication: September 1857

Size: 13-1/2 x 8-5/8 + Margins as shown

Date of this edition: 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Green color faded, Partially backed. Good overall condition.

Notes: This is the second edition of this print, not the 1st deluxe edition. The second edition does not have the same color of strip of cloth hanging in the wind. The first edition has two purple, one yellow and one white Strip.

More about this print: The three colorful strips of cloth in the foreground of this print are not celebratory banners but bolts of cloth that dyers have hung out to dry. Hiroshige emphasizes the cloth's materiality by embossing a textured weave pattern on the surface of the white bolt.

In the distance stands one of the many fire-watch towers scattered throughout the city. The buildings below were largely devoted to lodging visitors to Edo, maintaining the long-established function of this site as a point of entry and departure for travelers from the north.

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.