Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)
Shôno, hakuu (white rain), from the series: "Tôkaidô goj-san tsugi no uchi (The 53 Stations of Tôkaido), publisher's seal (red, below the signature): Hôeidô (Take no uchi Maghachi), censor seal (in the left floodplain margin): kiwame (not present in this sheet), dated c. 1833-1834. According to Gordon Friese, to whom we owe the present expertise, the woodcut available to him is an impression from the original woodblocks. This is a late print, since the lines of the black block are wide and partly broken. The colour blocks appear to have been heavily saturated by the paint, which prevents an even application of colour. Most importantly, the umbrella is missing the two inscriptions and the kiwame seal on the outer left edge. The seals in the image no longer fill the section of the underlying plate and the rain does not reach over the publisher's seal. See Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, JP2867 (internet source), ibid JP41, British Museum, no. 1937,0710,0.257 (internet source), Görner, Veit and Fran-Thorsten Moll "Hokusai. Japanische Holzschnitte aus der Sammlung Thun", Heidelberg, 2008, p.80 (left inscription on the umbrella missing, but with kiwame seal, Bohnhams, NY., 9/14/2010 (later print of the early version still with the two inscriptions on the umbrella, but with all other defects), backed, adhesive tape at the corners on the back, otherwise very good condition, almost full margins, 24.2 x 35.9 (overall dimensions),(CT)