100 Views of Edo # 26 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: 100 Views of Edo # 26: The Armor-hanging Pine at Hakkeizaka (Hakkeizaka Yoroikakematsu), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: May 1856

Size: Vertical ôban; 33.5 x 22.1 cm (13 3/16 x 8 11/16 in.)

Date of this edition: 1856

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Left, right and bottom margin trimmed, remnants from prior mounting. Yellow color 25 % fadded. Very good impression, good colors, fair to good overall condition.

Notes: The "Armor-Hanging Pine" was a grand, oddly shaped tree from which, legend has it, the warrior Minamoto Yoshiie (1041–1108) hung his armor when he rested there on his way north to subjugate the Abe clan. By Hiroshige's time, the tree would have been about eight hundred years old. The bluff on which it stood—Hakkeizaka, or "Eight Views Slope"—was named for its panorama. The teahouses suggest that it was a popular place for relaxation.

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.