View of Lake Biwa and the Town of Otsu from the Building Dedicated to Kannon at Mii Temple, 1855

by Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

Current Status

View of Lake Biwa and the Town of Otsu from the Building Dedicated to Kannon at Mii Temple, 1855 by Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

Original Hiroshige (1797 - 1858) Japanese Woodblock Print
View of Lake Biwa and the Town of Otsu from the Building Dedicated to Kannon at Mii Temple, 1855

Series; Pictures of Famous Places on the Fifty-three Stations (Vertical Tokaido)

Pictures of Famous Places on the Fifty-three Stations (Vertical Tokaido) - Hiroshige's fantastic vertical Tokaido series was done in 1855 and represents a further evolution of his landscape design style, including some of his most modern designs. One of the striking features of this beautiful series was the vertical format, since the more common format for the landscape print was the horizontal. This unique approach allowed Hiroshige to experiment with the foreground and background contrasts that are typical of his work and seen in some of his other vertical landscape series. The concept for the vertical Tokaido grew out of the incredible popularity of the Hoeido Tokaido (his first Tokaido series). Hiroshige wanted to expand on the theme, as the public was very interested in his fascinating images of life and travels along the most important thoroughfare in Japan- the road from Edo to Kyoto. From the urban center of Edo, where the journey began, to the beautiful rural landscape of the provinces more far away, the series is a set of breathtaking illustrations of Edo period Japan.

View of Lake Biwa and the Town of Otsu from the Building Dedicated to Kannon at Mii Temple, 1855 - Lovely view of Lake Biwa from the hill overlooking the town of Otsu. Travelers climb the steep steps at right, while others stop to marvel at the expansive view. The temple buildings frame the scene at lower left, flanked by flowering cherry trees and tall pines. An attractive design with soft shading in the water and sky, and delicate embossing on the cherry blossoms.

Artist - Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

Image Size - 13 3/8" x 8 3/4" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent detail as shown. Slight toning, a few spots and light creases. Please see photos for details.

View of Lake Biwa and the Town of Otsu from the Building Dedicated to Kannon at Mii Temple, 1855 by Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)
View of Lake Biwa and the Town of Otsu from the Building Dedicated to Kannon at Mii Temple, 1855 by Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)