100 Views of Edo # 115 Deluxe 1st Edition by Ando Hiroshige

Additional Pictures: Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Print Title: Takata Riding Grounds (Takata no baba), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: August 1857

Size: Oban: 8 5/8" x 13 5/8" (21.9 x 34.2 cm)

Date of this edition: August 1857, 1st edition

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Trimmed to the margins on the lower, and upper side of the print, partially on the right and left side, affecting the seals. Small restored pin holes. Very good colors and impression.

Notes: Very rare 1st edition with blue colors in the title cartouche. Deluxe edition with Mica in the target area. Usually, this technique was reserved for good customer or prestigious people, as the technology was fairly new, expensive and difficult to master.

More about this print: This scene portrays samurai retainers practicing military skills at the Takata Riding Grounds in the hilly northwestern suburbs of Edo. It is a reminder that half of Edo's population consisted of a hereditary warrior class that, even after more than two centuries of peace, was still expected to maintain its military skills. The practice of the martial arts was on the rise at the time this print appeared, reflecting a mounting foreign crisis and a heightened governmental emphasis on education and training

Pictures: Pictures are taken outdoor, in the shade, to reflect true colors, without any enhancements of any kind. The last picture is taken indoor, with a light behind the print, to reveal the exact paper grain, holes if any, or other possible flaws.