One Hundred Famous Views of Edo - In 1856, Hiroshige began designing what was to be his last great series and a masterpiece, "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo." The series contains 118 vertical format woodblocks of classic Hiroshige landscapes. From spring cherry blossoms to summer fireworks, from quiet scenes along the river to lively festival celebrations, Hiroshige captures life in old Edo in dramatic and interesting ways. Hiroshige employed an inventive compositional technique in many of the prints, using large foreground elements to frame a distant view in the background, such as the image of Kinryuzan Temple seen through the doorway of the famous Thunder Gate. Beautifully printed with fine bokashi shading, "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" retains its popularity today as one of Hiroshige's great masterworks, and includes some of his most memorable images.

Aoi Slope, Outside Toranomon Gate - A terrific Hiroshige nighttime scene, depicting a winter evening in Edo. The horizon is still glowing from the setting sun and stars have just appeared in the night sky. Geeze fly across the moon and pedestrians make their ways home on the chilly evening. In the foreground, two apprentices return from customary winter visits to bathe in icy water at temples, where they would pray to improve their skills. A fine Hiroshige design with excellent color and fine detail.

Artist - Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

Image Size - 13 1/4" x 8 5/8" + margins as shown

Condition - With excellent color and detail as shown. Slight paper remnants or thinning on reverse at two points along left edge from previous folio mounting. A few faint spots. Please see photos for details. Good overall.