Utagawa Hiroshige: 375+ Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints - Ando Hiroshige - Annotated

UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE: UKIYO-E Art Book contains 375+ woodblock reproductions of Japanese landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes and still lifes with translated annotations and biography.
Book includes Table of Contents, Top 50 Museums of the World, and is compatible with all Kindle devices, Kindle for iOS and Android tablets (use rotate and/or zoom feature on landscape/horizontal images for optimal viewing).

Ando Hiroshige, known as the last great master of Japanese ukiyo-e art, was born Ando Tokutaro in Edo (now Tokyo) in 1797. Unlike the humble family origins of many ukiyo-e artists, his family was of samurai lineage, and moderately respectable, his father held the minor governmental office of Fire Warden for the area of the Yayosu Riverbank. As a child Hiroshige did show interest and talent for art; a fine painting he did at about nine years old survived until it was destroyed in a fire in 1923.
Tragically, Hiroshige lost both of his parents within months of each other when he was thirteen. Earlier that year his father had passed the responsibilities of Fire Warden of Edo Castle on to him, and as this work gave him plenty of free time, he maintained it for fifteen years while also beginning to pursue his studies of art.
He began formal studies at fifteen, entering the house of an Utagawa artist named Toyohiro. Toyohiro was an artist with talent in not only woodblock printing but also literature and painting in the Kano tradition. He studied under the founder of the Utagawa school, (noted for its focus on Western-method expression of landscape and perspective), who was a gentle and studious man. It was a fortunate move for Hiroshige, as Toyohiro had only a few students, none of which were nearly as gifted as Hiroshige.
It was also during this time that Hiroshige began signing his work with the name by which we know him. In these times a significant life-change was often indicated by a change of name. “Hiroshige” includes “Hiro” from his mentor’s name, a sign not only of respect for the teacher but also respect from him, as his permission was required for the change. Hiroshige continued to use this name for the rest of his life, but did also employ a few other pseudonyms.