100 Views of Edo # 46 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Prints Title: Yoroi Ferry, Koami-chô (Yoroi no watashi Koami-chô), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: October 1857

Size: Vertical oban; 11 1/4" x 8 5/8" (29.5 x 22.3 cm)

Date of this edition: October 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Small hole in the upper margin, crease at the lower left corner now flattened, glued on the upper corner to a sheet of paper, small stains and newborn foxing. Very good colors and impression, good overall.

Notes: This print is printed on crepe paper, not the usual washi paper, from the original set of blocks. Over time, the paper tends to shrink a little bit in size but is stronger and more resistant than the usual paper.

More about this print: The Yoroi Ferry, which we see in the distance loaded with a standing crowd, transported passengers across the Nihonbashi River. It owed its name to Minamoto Yoshiie (1041–1108), the medieval warrior who was said to have hung his armor on the pine tree in number 26. Here, so the legend goes, he pacified the waves during a great storm by sacrificing his armor to the angry Dragon King of the sea. Behind the ferry are the warehouses of Koami-chō, which stored rice, soy, and oil for the capital.

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.