100 Views of Edo # 17 by Ando Hiroshige

Additional Pictures: Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Print Title: View to the North from Asuka Hill (Asukayama kita no chôbô), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: May 1856

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

Date of this edition: May 1856

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Margins partially trimmed, affecting the seals, rubbing, soiling and a small crack.

More about this Print: Asukayama, Japan's first public park, was opened in 1737 as an act of piety by the shogun Yoshimune (1684–1751), who ordered the planting of hundreds of cherry trees there to create a pleasant place for popular outings. Into the distance extends a delicate green haze, spreading out to a gray-wash pattern of rice paddies and a blue line at the horizon suggesting the Tone River. Hovering above this all, streaked with thin bands of clouds, is the accentuated outline 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.