Hiroshige and Meisho Edo Hyakkei (One Hundred Famous Views of Edo)

One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (in Japanese 名所江戸百景 Meisho Edo Hyakkei ) is a series of ukiyo-e prints begun and largely completed by the Japanese artist Hiroshige (1797–1858). The prints were first published in serialized form in 1856–59, with Hiroshige II completing the series after Hiroshige's death. It was tremendously popular and much reprinted.

It is a work that inspired a number of Western artists, including Vincent Van Gogh, to experiment with imitations of Japanese methods.^[1]

Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川 広重^?, 1797 – October 12, 1858) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, and one of the last great artists in that tradition. He was also referred to as Andō Hiroshige (安藤 広重) (an irregular combination of family name and art name)^[1] and by the art name of Ichiyūsai Hiroshige (一幽斎廣重).

Legend has it that Hiroshige determined to become a ukiyo-e artist when he saw the prints of his near-contemporary, Hokusai. (Hokusai published some of his greatest prints, such as Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, in 1832—the year Hiroshige devoted himself full-time to his art.)

Hiroshige was a member of the Utagawa school, along with Kunisada and Kuniyoshi. The Utagawa school comprised dozens of artists, and stood at the forefront of 19th century woodblock prints. Particularly noteworthy for their actor and historical prints, members of the Utagawa school were nonetheless well-versed in all of the popular genres.