Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige 広重 (1797-1858)
Title: Hyuga Province, Aburatsu Port 日向 油津ノ湊 飫肥大島
Series: 60-odd Famous Views of the Provinces 六十余州名所図会 Date: 1856
Bird’s eye view of Aburatsu Port, an important harbor for the fishing industry as far back as the Nara period in the eighth century. We see what looks to be a restaurant building, cropped lower left, part of Aburatsu village. The boats at right appear effortlessly buoyant, a tribute to Hiroshige’s skill as a designer. It is this dealer’s opinion that one reason Hiroshige excelled at bird’s eye views was that the artist spent a lot of time in high fire towers as part of his previous career as a fire warden in Tokyo. This work seems close to being a first edition, and the visible woodgrain is exceptional, and the bokashi in the water is delightful. Compares well to the Pulverer example in the catalogue published on this series.
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Includes lovely woodgrain in the water, indicating an early impression.
References: See “Hiroshige’s Journey in the 60-Odd Provinces” (2004), page 158, number 65. See museum collections of MFA, Chazen, MET and Honolulu Academy of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Dimensions: ôban (36.5 x 25.3 cm) Publisher: Koshimuraya Heisuke
Signature: Hiroshige ga
SKU: HIR569
