Kyobashi takegashi. Bamboo yards, Kyobashi. Print shows pedestrians crossing the Kyo Bridge as a man poles a boat on the river below, with long pieces of bamboo along the bank on the left, and a full moon overhead. Since ancient times the Japanese have contemplated the combination of snow, flowers, moon, and the beauties of nature. And not only have they contemplated such scenes, they've also made them favoured themes for paintings and poetry. One Hundred Famous Views of Edo is a series of ukiyo-e prints begun and largely completed by the Japanese artist Hiroshige. The prints were first published in serialized form in 1856 -59, with Hiroshige II completing the series after Hiroshige's death. It was tremendously popular and much reprinted. Utagawa Hiroshige, 1857. |