Utagawa Hiroshige II (1826 -1869) Forty-Eight Famous Views of Edo #14: Waterfall River at Oji, 1860. Chuban.
This series is a terrific set of chuban views of Edo, produced early in Hiroshige II’s career. In the nineteenth century, the area around Oji (now in Tokyo) was wild and a confluence of rivers created seven natural waterfalls near the Inari Temple. This was a famous place to visit and view the natural beauty of the rivers. The area is now a busy urban scene and the original waterfalls are long gone.
In this view we see the natural caves and one of the famous falls; a small bridge crosses the water in the middle distance and there are sightseers crossing the bridge and exploring the caves. The title of the print appears in the scrolled cartouche, the number of the print in the rolled up edge of the scroll.
A fine early Hiroshge II, full sized and with good margins in a fine state. The print is an early impression from the first edition and shows very good colour and delicate gauffrage. Early impressions of this excellent landscape are hard to find and this a particularly crisp, vibrant example.
Signed Hiroshige II, published by Tsuta-ya Kichizo.
24.75 x 18.5 cm
