Adele Schlombs

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) was one of the last great artists in the ukiyo-e tradition. Literally meaning "pictures of the floating world", ukiyo-e refers to the famous Japanese woodblock print genre that originated in the 17th century and is practically synonymous with the Western world`s visual characterization of Japan. Though Hiroshige captured a variety of subjects, his greatest talent was in creating landscapes of his native Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and his most famous work was a series known as "100 Famous Views of Edo" (1856-1858). This book provides an introduction to his work and an overview of his career.

A full-color appreciation of this much-loved and canonical ukiyo-e series Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-92) was the last great woodblock print master of the ukiyo-e tradition. With his distinctive dramatic line and use of gorgeous colors, Yoshitoshi was soon recognized by his contemporaries as the most outstanding woodblock artist of his time. One Hundred Aspects of the Moon is regarded as his greatest achievement. The series brings to life the history and mythology of ancient Japan. In all 100 prints, the moon figures prominently, either clearly visible in the design itself, or else referred to in the beautiful poem in the text cartouche. The subjects of the prints range from historical figures such as the novelist and court lady Murasaki and samurai warlords such as Takeda Shingen to mythological creatures and scenes related to the Japanese theater forms kabuki, noh and kyogen.