Edo prints


  Design: Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)  
  Title: Part moon above both sides of the Sumida river  
  Series title: Twelve views of the silver snowscape of the East  
  Size: 23.4 x 34.2 cm (ōban)  
  Posthumous printing from the original woodblocks    
  Photography: Jacques Commandeur
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Hiroshige Part moon above both sides of the Sumida river

Enlargement


Special effects: white urushi (i.e., lacquer) on all the trees and on a few other parts of the print. Silver metallic pigment on the title cartouche in the right margin.

Originally issued ca 1835-1838 by publisher Izumiya Ichibei. This is a later edition published by Matsui Eikichi ca. 1896.

This is a view in Edo from the eastbank towards the westbank of the Sumida river. In the foreground is the torii of Mimeguri shrine. On the westbank we see Matsuchiyama hill with Shōden shrine on its top and Imado bridge crossing the mouth of the San’yabori canal on its right.

Artist’s signature at the top right of the print area:

Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
hiro broad  
shige heavy Picture by
ga picture Hiroshige

Series title in silver cartouche in right margin of the print:

Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
gin silver  
se world  
kai world  
azuma east  
ten  
ni two Twelve views of the
kei view silver snowscape of the East

Followed by print title:

Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
sumi corner  
ta ricefield  
kawa river  
ryō both  
kawa river  
gishi side  
ichi one  
moku eye  
no ’s Part moon above
gatsu moon both sides of the Sumida river

Printing and publishing dates and publisher’s address and name in middle of bottom margin (from right to left):

Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
mei light  
ji government Meiji era,
       
十十 ni jū twenty  
nine  
nen year the 29th year (= 1896),
       
shichi seven  
gatsu month the 7th month (July),
       
ni two  
ten  
nichi day the 20th day,
       
in stamp  
satsu print printing;
       
kon now  
nen year the same year,
       
hachi eight  
gatsu month the 8th month (August),
san three  
nichi day the 3rd day,
       
hatsu publish  
go issue
       
ga picture  
saku make painting
       
in stamp  
satsu print printing
       
ken combine  
hatsu publish  
go  
sha person cumulative publisher
       
east  
kyō capital  
shi city Tokyo city,
       
kyō capital  
hashi bridge Kyōbashi,
       
minami south  
kin gold  
roku six  
chō quarter Minamikinroku quarter,
       
十十十 san jū thirty  
ban number  
chi land number 30,
       
matsu pine  
i a well  
ei glory  
kichi good luck Matsui Eikichi


References


Provenance: Dieter Wanczura’s Artelino website

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