Page 369 - japanese and korean art Utterberg Collection Christie's March 22 2022

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UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Oji shozoku enoki omisoka no kitsunebi (New Year's Eve
foxfires at nettle tree, Oji)
Woodblock print, from the series Meisho Edo hyakkei (One hundred
famous views of Edo), signed Hiroshige ga, published by Uoya Eikichi,
9th month 1857
Vertical oban: 14Ω x 9√ in. (36.8 x 25.1 cm.)

$100,000-150,000

In the evening of New Year's Eve, foxes with flame-like
phosphorescence gather under a hackberry tree in a gathering
called Shozoku enoki near Oji Inari (Fox) Shrine in Edo. After
purifying themselves under this tree, foxes visit Oji Inari Shrine to
receive the divine message for the New Year’s Day. This is the sole
work depicting a fantastical subject from this series. In this print,
Hiroshige intentionally outlined the foxes on the ground sharply
and precisely while other elements are treated indistinctly in the
dark of night which emphasizes the fantastical atmosphere of this
work.

Oji Shrine in Tokyo at present