Edo prints
| Design: | Shōtei Hokuju (1763–1824) | |||||
| Title: | View of Ochanomizu | |||||
| Series title: | The Eastern capital | |||||
| Size: | 24.2 x 38.4 cm (ōban) | |||||
| Posthumous printing from newly cut woodblocks | ||||||
| Photography: | Jacques Commandeur |
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Originally published ca. 1820s by Nishimuraya Yohachi (firm name Eijudō). This edition from newly carved blocks was published in 1938 by Takamizawa.
The yellow bridge in the print is Ochanomizubashi bridge crossing the Kanda river in Edo. Ocha no mizu means “tea water”; spring water was extracted here to make the shōgun’s tea during the Edo period.
Series and print title in the upper right area of the print:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 東 | tō | east | |
| 都 | to | capital | The Eastern capital |
| 御 | o | honourable | |
| 茶 | cha | tea | |
| 之 | no | ’s | |
| 水 | mizu | water | |
| 風 | fū | wind | |
| 景 | kei | view | View of Ochanomizu |
Followed by artist’s signature:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 昇 | shō | rise | |
| 亭 | tei | pavilion | |
| 北 | hoku | north | |
| 壽 | ju | longevity | Picture by |
| 画 | ga | picture | Shōtei Hokuju |
Round censorship seal reading kiwame (‘approved’), and Eiju han seal, see Marks (2011, p. 67, seal number 23-016), of the original publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi in bottom left print area.
Black Takamizawa seal on verso of the print:
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in which the kanji read:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 高 | taka | high | |
| 見 | mi(ru) | see | |
| 澤 | sawa | marsh | Published by |
| 版 | han | edition | Takamizawa |
References
- Marks, Andreas (2011). Publishers of Japanese Woodblock Prints: A Compendium. Leiden: Hotei Publishing.
Provenance: Fuji Arts