UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE Japanese, 1797–1858 FAMOUS PLACES OF THE EASTERN CAPITAL: ILLUSTRATION OF TSUKIJI NISHIMIDO TEMPLE, CIRCA 1830S ukiyo-e woodblock triptych Unframed colour woodblock triptych depicting a sweeping bird's-eye view of Tsukiji Nishi-Mido temple, Tokyo, a branch temple of Kyoto's Nishi Hongan-ji, originally founded in Asakusa in 1617 and relocated to its present Tsukiji site in 1679 following the Great Fire of Meireki. The composition shows the temple precinct with figures amongst pine trees and traditional architecture, with Japanese text cartouches and publisher's seal. Unframed. Publisher: Tsutakichi
NOTE: The colours are remarkably fresh and vibrant. Minor defects to note include the publisher's mark at the lower edge being partially trimmed, and evidence of old repair work to the verso where minor insect damage may have occurred.
$2,000-3,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired in 1977 at the "Yokoyama" fine art store (located at The OKURA HOTEL shopping arcade) for JPY / ¥ 120,000 (approx. USD 750 in today's dollars).
ARTIST PROFILE: Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) was the last great master of the Japanese ukiyo-e tradition, celebrated for transforming the genre from its typical focus on urban pleasure districts to evocative, poetic landscapes. Though born into a samurai family and serving as a fire warden in Edo, Hiroshige dedicated his life to art, eventually producing over 8,000 works that utilized labor-intensive techniques like bokashi (color gradation) to capture atmospheric changes in weather and season. He is most famous for series such as The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido and One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, which employed innovative vertical compositions and dramatic foreground framing. Despite his immense popularity and the technical brilliance of his "luxury edition" prints, Hiroshige lived in modest financial circumstances until his death during a cholera epidemic. His legacy extended far beyond Japan, profoundly influencing Western Impressionists and Post-Impressionists like Van Gogh, Monet, and Whistler, who studied his unique vantage points and subtle use of color as part of the 19th-century Japonism movement.
