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.

Yuyudo Publisher - In the early 20th century, the Yuyudo publishing house had already distinguished themselves as one of the finest publishers in Japan. They adhered to the same exacting standards of 19th century publishers while some of their publishing colleagues took shortcuts. In the 1950's, as interest Edo era woodblock prints was reigniting, Yuyudo embarked upon a project to produce reprints by the great masters from the Golden Age of Ukiyo-e. They hired the finest woodblock printers and carvers in the world for this endeavor. The resulting prints were some of the highest quality reproductions ever made. We are pleased to offer this beautiful reprint from the Yuyudo publisher in our auctions today.  Yuyudo prints are exceptionally well done and very finely printed. Each bears a Yuyudo Publisher stamp on the margin or reverse. Bid now on prints from this fantastic collection!

Seido and Kanda River from Shohei Bridge - Handsome illustration of a summer shower at Seido, viewed from the Shohei Bridge over the Kanda River in the foreground. The rain slants across the sky as a boatman poles his craft along the water and pedestrians make their way up the hill on the opposite shore. The outer walls of the Yushima Seido Shrine line the slope beneath trees covered with deep green foliage. Hiroshige has exaggerated the steepness of the embankment at left for picturesque effect, adding a sense of depth. A lovely design with fine bokashi shading and rich color.

Artist - Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

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

Condition - Excellent overall with beautiful color and fine detail. Please see photos for details.