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.

Exceptionally Fine Taisho Era (1912 – 1926) Reprint Series –  Hiroshige’s 100 Edo series was rarely reprinted complete making many designs extremely difficult to find. This early reprint set is beautifully done; the prints are virtually identical to Edo era originals. Unlike later reprints, the paper and inks are from the Edo tradition. Beautiful old reprints like these are excellent for display as they are indiscernible from originals when framed.

Gotenyama, Shinagawa - Gotenyama was a favorite destination for relaxation in the spring and summertime for Edoites escaping the city. Hiroshige loved this location and was especially fond of depicting the blossoming spring cherry trees at the crest of the hill when they were in full bloom. This was one of Hiroshige's favorite scenes for his landscape prints, the rural location of the edge of the city was especially appealing to him. In this lovely spring view, travelers cross the small bridge over a narrow creek and wander towards the path to enjoy the pink blossoms in full bloom on the crest of the hill.

Artist - Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

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

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Please see photos for details. Good overall.