Hiroshige (1797 - 1858), "Fukagawa Lumberyards"
| Catalog ID | A3028 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Hiroshige |
| Title | Fukagawa Lumberyards |
| Medium | Original Japanese Woodblock Print |
| Series Title | One Hundred Famous Views in Edo |
| Edition | |
| Date | 1856 |
| Publisher | Uoya Eikichi |
| Reference No | #106 in the series |
| Size | 14 x 9 -1/2 " |
| Condition | Fine. |
Notes: Honjo Fukagawa was a district on the eastern bank of the Sumida River where, from 1701, some fifteen large timber merchants were assigned a site by the government. At the time this area was only partly cultivated, but rapid supply routes were guaranteed by the Eitai Bridge, constructed over the Sumida in 1698, and by the countless urban waterways.
After the major expansion of Edo in the seventeenth century, with the establishment of the government there in 1603 and the first great fire of 1657, wood remained one of the major commodities in the city. Edo was constantly plagued by fires, which often destroyed entire neighborhoods.
An interesting side note: the umbrella in the foreground bears the character 'Uo", no doubt an allusion to the publisher of the series, Uoya Eikichi.
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