Utagawa Hiroshige (1797 - 1858), Hoki Province,Ono, distant view of Mount Daisen, from the series: from the series: "Famous views of sixty-some provinces," Adachi Publishing House, Tokyo/Japan, Showa period after 1960.

Color woodcut, paper, 37x26 cm, artist's signature, publisher's mark on the back

Beautiful depiction showing farmers in Hoki province planting rice in the early morning in the pouring rain. The fields stretch across the plain to the foot of Mount Daisen, passing rows of gray tree silhouettes. Mount Daisen rises, obscured by morning fog and rain, dominating the surrounding farmland.

Famous Views of Sixty-Six Provinces is Koshihei's fantastic Hiroshige series, published between 1853 and 1856, containing sixty-nine graphics (one for each of Japan's sixty-six provinces, as well as several for Edo and the two main islands). The series includes some of Hiroshige's most famous designs, such as the dramatic view of water whirlpools in Naruto. The series was a further development of Hiroshige's landscape designs, including some of his most modern compositions. The striking new use of the vertical format allowed Hiroshige to experiment with the contrasts between foreground and background typical of his work, drawing the viewer's attention while suggesting a sense of great distance. The high vantage point of most of his designs allows for sweeping panoramas and sweeping views of beautiful landscapes. The skillful shading of the bokashi also adds remarkable depth to many of the woodcuts in this series.

This beautiful reissue of the design comes from the famous Tokyo publisher Adachi, one of the most respected publishers of the 20th century. Adachi's woodcuts were printed to the highest quality standards, with excellent color and fine detail. Adachi's woodblock printers were known as the best in the industry. The Adachi Group also selected interesting and diverse subjects for its prints and was the sole publisher of many famous old ukiyo-e paintings.

Hiroshige Andō, also known as Hiroshige Utagawa, is one of Japan's best-known painters and printmakers. His father, Andō Genuemon, was a low-ranking samurai and fire brigade officer. From the age of sixteen, Hiroshige studied in the studio of Utagawa Toyohira, under whose tutelage he developed his skills and talent. Young Hiroshige soaked up the artistic atmosphere while helping in the daily life of his father's brigade. It wasn't until he was 27 that he fully decided to follow the path of artistic creation. After his teacher's death in 1822, he was offered to take over the studio after his master, but Hiroshige declined the offer and set his sights on independence. Hiroshige's artistic output has not been fully catalogued to this day, but it is estimated that some 5,000 works were created, primarily in the color woodcut technique. He began his career with portraits of beautiful women (bijin-ga) and images of kabuki actors (yakusha-e), but after the death of his teacher he focused primarily on native landscapes. Hiroshige came from a samurai family, however, he identified with Edo's bourgeois culture. He became primarily known as the creator of landscape series such as Fifty-three Stations on the Tōkaidō Road(Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi no uchi), One Hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo(Meisho Edo hyakkei) and Sixty-nine Stations on the Kisokaidō Road(Kisokaidō rokujūkyū tsugi no uchi). He masterfully depicted the landscape at different times of the year and day, and was interested in weather phenomena. He experimented with effects and composition and used unconventional shortcuts. A unique element in his works is the depiction of atmospheric phenomena such as snowfall or rainfall, as well as gales and storms. On the other hand, he was interested in the phenomenon of shadow and its effect both in the landscape and domestic interiors.