100 Views of Edo # 27 by Ando Hiroshige

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

Woodblock Print Title: Plum Garden from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: 1857

Size: Vertical oban; 35.9 x 24.6 cm (14 1/8 x 9 11/16 in.)

Date of this edition: 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Horizontal centerfold now flattened, else fine.

More about this Print: The entire Kamata area south of Ômori was known for the cultivation of plum trees and was celebrated more for its early summertime fruits than its springtime blossoms. The gentle beauty of this print tends to distract the viewer from the structure intruding from the right.

It is a cushioned palanquin known as a yamakago ("mountain palanquin"), once widely used for travel in Japan. The overgarment left casually on top suggests that a traveler has recently stopped off for a brief rest from the nearby Tokaido highway that linked Edo to Kyoto

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.