Famous Places of Greater Edo at a Single Glance (Edo kinkō meisho ichiran), 1847 (reprinted 1858)

Woodblock-printed book

Private Collection

Like other early modern artists, Hiroshige trained as a painter, and his skill as such may be seen in his many remarkable compositions. While he often painted on commission, he made his living designing for print, producing some of the period’s most popular, well-loved, and long-lasting images. This is the second printing of what must have been a best-selling guide to the sights around Edo (modern day Tokyo), featuring selected illustrations by the master. It opens, as did most guidebooks to the city, with a view of Nihonbashi, the Bridge of Japan, humming with activity and trade, with Mount Fuji in the distance.

Julie Nelson Davis