Hiroshige II | Fukagawa Hachiman, Views of Famous Places in Edo
二代目歌川広重 Utagawa Hiroshige II (active 1826–1869)
江户名所图会 深川八幡
Fukagawa Hachiman, from the series of Views of Famous Places in Edo
1863
木版画 | 纵绘大判 | 37cm x 25cm
Woodblock-print | Oban tate-e | 37cm x 25cm
非常早期的版次带有漂亮的木纹；品相非常好
Later impression with beautiful wood grain; good condtion
$900.00
二代目歌川广重追随先师歌川广重的脚步，创作了许多江户名胜的风景画，像这幅令人回味的雪景便是出自他1861年至1864年间创作的《江户名所图会》系列，共71幅。深川八幡，也叫深川八幡神社，创建于1627年，是东京最大的八幡宫，除了是日本神道教的重要地标，江户时代，百姓们常去寺社烧香礼拜，每逢每个月“缘日”：初一、十五和二十八。赶集的人更是络绎不绝，二代广重的这幅画画的便是三月二十日的凌晨人们赶往神社礼拜的画面。画里，天色未见亮，依然黑沉沉的一片。雪落在远处的房顶，压得严严实实，像罩上了一床白色的棉被，而树木、地面全披上了白衣，铺上了白毯，白雪与黑夜相映成趣，旅人身上鲜艳的和服、黄色的和伞和朱红的神社有如各色灯光点亮了整个画面。画中的人物都紧紧裹着头巾以此抵御寒冷的夜晚。然而，画面正中间的一位武士看似停下了脚步，转身与身后的两位美人聊天，看来，再冷的天气也抵不过美人致命的吸引力，寒夜虽冷，依然有佳人可期。
Hiroshige II followed his master by creating numerous designs of places in Edo, modern-day Tokyo. This evocative snow scene is from Views of Famous Places in Edo, which he produced between 1861 and 1864.
Many of the prints in this series feature snow scenes, for which Hiroshige and his pupil were justifiably famous. You can feel the winter chill especially in this one, with its dark black sky and its subjects covering their faces against the bitter night. Nonetheless, a Samurai appears to be pausing to chat with two beautiful women (bijin); even icy temperatures cannot cool attraction, I suppose. He carries that most wonderful of Ukiyoe design elements, a traditional Japanese umbrella.
The colors are very strong in this example, especially the red, which tends to be the first color to fade. The purple in the woman's kimono helps us date this print to after Japan was "opened" to the west, as it is a synthetic dye. I especially love the foreground torii gate, which is black-on-black against the sky, with snow piled on top. This appears to be a slightly later printing; note that the registration of the trees is off slightly.
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Utagawa Hiroshige II (active 1826-1869)
Born Chinpei Suzuki in 1826, Hiroshige II was given the name of Shigenobu after becoming one of Hiroshige’s very few students. In his career he hewed so closely to the master’s style, focusing on landscapes and the romantic interactions between human beings and the natural world, that it’s hard to determine whether he had a style of his own. He had a firm grasp of composition and color, yes, but the quality of his lines didn’t always match that of his teacher.
He took the name Hiroshige II after marrying Hiroshige’s 16-year-old daughter, Otatsu. He even completed his father-in-law’s final series – at least one, and possibly two, prints in “100 Famous Views of Edo” are attributed to Hiroshige II, done presumably after Hiroshige’s death in 1858.
But Hiroshige II produced some memorable works of his own, especially in the magnificent, “100 Famous Views of the Provinces” which he designed between 1859 and 1862. This includes “Kintai Bridge at Iwakuni in Suo Province,” which shows this legendary bridge of stone spans slashing across the paper on a left-to-right downward diagonal, a mirror of Hiroshige’s famed “Squall at Ohashi.”
During the time this series was produced, woodblock printing technology reached its zenith, and the printing quality of some of his prints is extraordinary. The “Deluxe” editions of these include wonderfully elaborate cartouches.
In the 1860s Hiroshige II was extremely prolific, including contributing to the “Processional Tokaido” with practically every other major Ukiyo-e artist of the day. Other series of varying quality focused on Edo and its environs. He was, like his teacher, especially adept at rain and snow scenes – some of his rain views, such as in “Eight Views of the Sumida River” in 1861, give a sense of a sudden downpour that is perhaps even more palpable than those of Hiroshige’s.
As this was just at the time of the “opening” of Japan, many of these prints are notable for the glimpses of western culture they provide, including ominous “Black Ships” riding at anchor, and Western men with giant noses, bushy eyebrows and ridiculous mustaches and beards, which the Japanese of the time must have found fascinating – amusing? – indeed.
Alas, things didn’t work out too well for our friend Hiroshige II. He and Otatsu divorced and he fell into alcoholism. He was last known to earn a meagre sum by decorating lanterns, kites and tea chests.
As for Otatsu, well, she married another painter and student of her late father’s named Goto Torakichi, who became Hiroshige III.
One woman, two Hiroshiges. Honestly, I’d like to know more about her – she sounds like a real number.