Plum Garden at Kameido Shrine · 48 FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO · HIROSHIGE II - Japan - Edo Period (1600-1868)
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Selected by Giovanni Bottero
Holds a master’s in Japanese art history with over 10 years’ expertise in Asian art.
Estimate € 150 - € 200
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This original Japanese woodblock print, Plum Garden at Kameido Shrine (No. 24 from Forty-eight Famous Views of Edo), is by Utagawa Hiroshige II and dates to 1860–1861.
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Description from the seller
** Plum Blossom Viewing — Kameido Umeyashiki — Hiroshige II — Bakumatsu Edo — Early Spring Meisho — The Garden of Hiroshige’s and Van Gogh’s Famous Plum Tree. This subject is often sought after **
Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige II 二代歌川広重 (1826–1869)
Title: Kameido umeyashiki 亀戸梅やしき — Plum Garden at Kameido (No. 24, 廿四)
Series: Edo meisho shijūhakkei 江戸名所四十八景 — Forty-eight Famous Views of Edo
Publisher: Tsutaya Kichizō 蔦屋吉蔵 (Tsutakichi seal, right margin)
Date: 1860–1861 (Man'en 1 / Bunkyū 1)
Format: Chūban tate-e, 25 × 17 cm
Technique: Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and colour on paper
Signature: Hiroshige ga 廣重画, in a blue tanzaku cartouche at lower right
__________________________________________________________________
CONDITION
Strong impression and colors are well perserved with minor toning and some soiling, minor trimming on the margins. The paper is firm and subtle. Please check the images!
__________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE PRINT
The Umeyashiki, the “Plum Estate”, was the most celebrated place in Edo for viewing plum blossoms. It started as Seikōan, the country villa of Iseya Hikoemon, a kimono-textile merchant from Honjo. The plum trees he planted in the garden gave the place its popular name, and the collection grew to more than three hundred trees.
The garden’s fame rested on one tree, the Garyūbai or “Reclining Dragon Plum”. Its branches spread low along the ground in a way that reminded visitors of a crawling dragon. Tradition holds that Tokugawa Mitsukuni, lord of the Mito domain, gave the tree its name after he came to see it. The estate lay just behind Kameido Tenmangū Shrine, and the two sites were visited together in the second month. Pickled plums were sold to visitors as souvenirs. Hiroshige II reflects this pairing in the series: Kameido Tenjin follows directly as No. 25.
The subject has a famous lineage. The first Hiroshige made the Garyūbai the centrepiece of No. 30 of One Hundred Famous Views of Edo in 1857. Vincent van Gogh later copied that design in oil, which made it one of the best-known Japanese images in the West. Hiroshige II revisited the garden for this chūban set only three or four years afterwards. Impressions of this sheet are recorded by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which gives the full inscription as 江戸名所四十八景 廿四 亀戸梅やしき, and by the MAK in Vienna.
The garden itself did not survive into the twentieth century. The great Sumida flood of 1910 destroyed the plum trees, and the estate was abandoned.
__________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE SERIES
Edo Meisho Shijūhakkei is a complete set of forty-eight chūban sheets, each pairing one of Edo's famous places with the seasonal feature it was known for; the publisher's seal and the censor's seal alternate from sheet to sheet, and two printing dates are documented — the twelfth month of Man'en 1 (1860) and the first month of Bunkyū 1 (1861). The publisher was Kōeidō, Tsutaya Kichizō.
Hiroshige II — born Suzuki Chinpei, pupil and adopted son-in-law of the first Hiroshige — inherited the name in 1858 and, with it, the obligation to keep the studio's famous-places line running. This set belongs to the very last years of Edo: within seven years of its publication the city had a new name and a new government, and the pleasure districts it records were about to change beyond recognition. The chūban format made them affordable souvenirs at the time, which is precisely why they now read as an unusually candid record of where townspeople actually went.
Seller's Story
I've been collecting Japanese woodblock prints for quite a while now — everything from classic ukiyo-e to shin-hanga and sōsaku-hanga. What started as a personal passion eventually turned into something more, and these days I source prints from auctions, galleries, and private collections across Japan and Europe.
With growing worldwide interest in Japanese woodblock prints, gallery prices have been climbing steadily. My goal is simple: offer high-quality, authentic prints at reasonable prices. I'm picky about what I sell — I look for pieces that have been stored properly, kept flat, and are free from serious foxing, stains, or damage.
I'm based in Germany, which means EU buyers won't deal with any import duties or taxes. For US buyers, original artworks under HS code 9702 are duty-free as well. And wherever you are, I pack everything carefully with multiple layers of protection so your print arrives safely.
If you have questions about a piece, just reach out. You will get access to contact me once you've won an item from my lots.
** Plum Blossom Viewing — Kameido Umeyashiki — Hiroshige II — Bakumatsu Edo — Early Spring Meisho — The Garden of Hiroshige’s and Van Gogh’s Famous Plum Tree. This subject is often sought after **
Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige II 二代歌川広重 (1826–1869)
Title: Kameido umeyashiki 亀戸梅やしき — Plum Garden at Kameido (No. 24, 廿四)
Series: Edo meisho shijūhakkei 江戸名所四十八景 — Forty-eight Famous Views of Edo
Publisher: Tsutaya Kichizō 蔦屋吉蔵 (Tsutakichi seal, right margin)
Date: 1860–1861 (Man'en 1 / Bunkyū 1)
Format: Chūban tate-e, 25 × 17 cm
Technique: Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and colour on paper
Signature: Hiroshige ga 廣重画, in a blue tanzaku cartouche at lower right
__________________________________________________________________
CONDITION
Strong impression and colors are well perserved with minor toning and some soiling, minor trimming on the margins. The paper is firm and subtle. Please check the images!
__________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE PRINT
The Umeyashiki, the “Plum Estate”, was the most celebrated place in Edo for viewing plum blossoms. It started as Seikōan, the country villa of Iseya Hikoemon, a kimono-textile merchant from Honjo. The plum trees he planted in the garden gave the place its popular name, and the collection grew to more than three hundred trees.
The garden’s fame rested on one tree, the Garyūbai or “Reclining Dragon Plum”. Its branches spread low along the ground in a way that reminded visitors of a crawling dragon. Tradition holds that Tokugawa Mitsukuni, lord of the Mito domain, gave the tree its name after he came to see it. The estate lay just behind Kameido Tenmangū Shrine, and the two sites were visited together in the second month. Pickled plums were sold to visitors as souvenirs. Hiroshige II reflects this pairing in the series: Kameido Tenjin follows directly as No. 25.
The subject has a famous lineage. The first Hiroshige made the Garyūbai the centrepiece of No. 30 of One Hundred Famous Views of Edo in 1857. Vincent van Gogh later copied that design in oil, which made it one of the best-known Japanese images in the West. Hiroshige II revisited the garden for this chūban set only three or four years afterwards. Impressions of this sheet are recorded by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which gives the full inscription as 江戸名所四十八景 廿四 亀戸梅やしき, and by the MAK in Vienna.
The garden itself did not survive into the twentieth century. The great Sumida flood of 1910 destroyed the plum trees, and the estate was abandoned.
__________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE SERIES
Edo Meisho Shijūhakkei is a complete set of forty-eight chūban sheets, each pairing one of Edo's famous places with the seasonal feature it was known for; the publisher's seal and the censor's seal alternate from sheet to sheet, and two printing dates are documented — the twelfth month of Man'en 1 (1860) and the first month of Bunkyū 1 (1861). The publisher was Kōeidō, Tsutaya Kichizō.
Hiroshige II — born Suzuki Chinpei, pupil and adopted son-in-law of the first Hiroshige — inherited the name in 1858 and, with it, the obligation to keep the studio's famous-places line running. This set belongs to the very last years of Edo: within seven years of its publication the city had a new name and a new government, and the pleasure districts it records were about to change beyond recognition. The chūban format made them affordable souvenirs at the time, which is precisely why they now read as an unusually candid record of where townspeople actually went.
Seller's Story
I've been collecting Japanese woodblock prints for quite a while now — everything from classic ukiyo-e to shin-hanga and sōsaku-hanga. What started as a personal passion eventually turned into something more, and these days I source prints from auctions, galleries, and private collections across Japan and Europe.
With growing worldwide interest in Japanese woodblock prints, gallery prices have been climbing steadily. My goal is simple: offer high-quality, authentic prints at reasonable prices. I'm picky about what I sell — I look for pieces that have been stored properly, kept flat, and are free from serious foxing, stains, or damage.
I'm based in Germany, which means EU buyers won't deal with any import duties or taxes. For US buyers, original artworks under HS code 9702 are duty-free as well. And wherever you are, I pack everything carefully with multiple layers of protection so your print arrives safely.
If you have questions about a piece, just reach out. You will get access to contact me once you've won an item from my lots.
Details
Dynastic Style/Period
Edo Period (1600-1868)
Number of objects
1
Country of Origin
Japan
Attribution
Original
Title of artwork
Plum Garden at Kameido Shrine · 48 FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO · HIROSHIGE II
Condition
Good condition
Authenticity
Original/official
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