Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797-1858)
Title: Fudo Falls, Oji 王子 不動之滝
Series: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Meisho Edo Hyakkei 名所江戸百景
Date: 1856
The scenic and secluded Fudo Falls draws visitors for religious, scenic and restorative reasons. The falls were approached through the grounds of the Shojuin Temple, a Buddhist temple. Fudo (immovable) is a Buddhist deity depicted wreathed in flames and holding a sword. Henry Smith notes that the stylized depiction of the waterfall may also be an allusion to Fudo’s mighty sword of wisdom. Garlanding the top we see shimenawa rope, used to mark a sacred Shinto space. We see a man wading gingerly into the supposedly curative waters, and an older woman serving tea to another visitor who looks like he may have already gone for a dip. Two women with parasols approach to take in the scenic beauty.
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. With exceptionally large, clean margins. As mint as a work of this age can be.
Dimensions: 37 x 25 cm Publisher: Uoya Eikichi
Literature: Henry Smith II: “Hiroshige’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo”, plate 49. See the museum collections of the British Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Chazen, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco , Honolulu Museum of Art.
Signature: Hiroshige ga
SKU: HIR558
