A catalogue of the Ashmolean’s collection of prints of Edo by Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858) by Oliver Impey (published Oxford, 1993).
In this bold composition, a circular window has been half opened to reveal the sunset over the Uchikawa River. Plum blossoms outside show that it is spring. This is probably a view from one of the many tea houses and restaurants at Massaki, not far from the Yoshiwara pleasure district. A vase of magnolia on the wall to the left has been dramatically cropped.
Impey, Oliver, Hiroshige's Views of Tokyo: A Selection from the Woodblock-Print Series ‘One Hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo’ by Ando Hiroshige, 1797-1858 (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 1993), no. 5 on p. 9, illus. p. 16 pl. 5
Yoshiwara
The Yoshiwara was the licensed pleasure district in Edo (Tokyo), where courtesans resided.
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