Utagawa Hiroshige II’s colour woodblock, “Waterfall River at Ôji”, 1860

Utagawa Hiroshige II (歌川広重) (1826-1869)

“Waterfall River at Ôji” (aka “Ôji Takinogawa”), 1860, plate 14 from the series, “Forty-Eight Famous View of Edo” (aka “Yedo Meisho Shijū Hakkei”), published in Edo by Tsutakichi (aka Tsutaya Kichizo [蔦屋吉蔵]) (fl.1830–1859).

Colour woodblock print (nishiki-e) with bohashi gradations on fine fibrous washi paper and margins as published, backed with a support sheet.

Size: Chuban (sheet) 24.8 x 18.2 cm; (image borderline) 22.7 x 16.7 cm; (support sheet) 35.8 x 28.2 cm.

Seal inscriptions (in translation): (left red cartouche) “Hiroshige gwa”; (upper right in red cartouche showing the title of the series) “Famous Views of Yedo” (Yedo meisho dzuye); (upper right scroll showing the title of the print) “Waterfall River at Ôji” (Ôji Takinogawa); (upper right scroll on its rolled underside showing the number of the print) “14”. Note that this information is based on my understanding of the seals described in Edward Fairbrother Strange’s (1983) “Hiroshige’s Woodblock Prints”.

Toshidama Gallery offers the following excellent insights about the scene portrayed in this print: “[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 goneIn 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” (https://www.toshidama-japanese-prints.com/item_316/Hiroshige-II-48-Famous-Views-of-Edo-14--Waterfall-River-at-Oji.htm).

Condition: a well-printed impression, restored with replenished losses (visible when the sheet is held to the light) and laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.

I am selling this subtly coloured woodblock print of caves and waterfalls around Tokyo that I understand no longer exist, for AU$388 (currently US$276.55/EUR245.88/GBP208.89 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this original and very beautiful woodblock print by one of the most famous of the 19th century Japanese artists, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.