Exceptionally Fine Taisho Era Grand Series of Fishes - I found these beautiful old reprints of Hiroshige’s Grand Series of Fishes on my last trip to Japan. These early reprints are 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. They are also fun and inexpensive to collect. At Fuji Arts we’re always looking for fine old Hiroshige reprints. I was happy to get these fish prints; the nicest we’ve ever had.

The series - In the 1830s, Hiroshige designed a series of twenty oban size woodblocks of fish, published in two sets of ten prints each, with the second set released around 1840. This untitled series, sometimes called the Grand Series of Fishes, fits into the genre of kacho-e (birds and flowers prints), which focuses on carefully observed birds, insects, fish, and flowers in natural habitats.

Artist - Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

Image Size - 9 5/8" x 14 1/8"

Condition - With excellent color and detail. See photos for details. Good condition overall.