Edo period ukiyo-e woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige.

A single loose leaf from Sohitsu Gafu (An Album of Sketches).

Printed in Kaei 1 (1848).

By Utagawa Hiroshige. An authentic period print, not a reproduction. Minor traces of worm damage; otherwise in good overall condition. Inscribed at the upper left, "Hiroshige hitsu" (By the brush of Hiroshige).

Presented in a wooden frame with acrylic glazing, in A5 format, slightly larger than a postcard. Although simply framed, the work is ready for display. The impression shows no evidence of wear to the woodblocks, suggesting a printing close to the first edition.

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), an ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, was born in Kansei 9 (1797) and died on the sixth day of the ninth month of Ansei 5 (October 12,1858). His original name was Ando Juemon, and his childhood name was Tokutaro. He later used the names Juemon and Tetsuzo, and was also known as Tokube. Although sometimes referred to as "Ando Hiroshige", Ando was his family name and Hiroshige his art name; combining the two is inappropriate, and Hiroshige himself never used this designation. Born into the Ando family, which served in Edo's jobikeshi (permanent firefighting corps), he inherited the family position before becoming an ukiyo-e artist. His landscape woodblock prints achieved widespread popularity and influenced Western painters, including Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.