Page 132 - 2021 March 16th Japanese and Korean Art, Christie's New York City
P. 132
Property from an Important Private Institution
(LOTS 83–108)
91 UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Ryogoku hanabi (Fireworks, Ryogoku)
Woodblock print, from the series Meisho Edo
hyakkei (One hundred views of famous places
in Edo), signed Hiroshige ga, date sealed Horse
8 (1858, 8th month), published by Uoya Eikichi
Vertical oban: 13√ x 9¬ in. (35.2 x 24.4 cm.)
$8,000-12,000
The firework displays at the Ryogoku Bridge were
among the most popular summer pleasures of Edo
residents since 1733, when the first official fireworks
were commissioned by the eighth Tokugawa Shogun,
Yoshimune, to commemorate citizens who had died in a
cholera epidemic. The memorial, including a display of
fireworks, became an annual observance.
