Preliminary identification
Photo reference
5 uploaded photos
Overview
This is an authentic Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print depicting Yoshiwara station from Hiroshige's famed Gyōsho (semicursive) Tōkaidō series. The scene famously captures 'Fuji on the Left' (Hidari Fuji), a rare vantage point along the ancient highway where travelers suddenly saw the iconic mountain switch sides.
Story
In 1841, Hiroshige revisited the Tokaido highway in the Gyosho script style. At Yoshiwara, the road sharply bent, placing Mount Fuji unexpectedly on travelers' left side rather than their right.
Maker / Origin
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) was one of the undisputed masters of Japanese landscape art, known for his poetic atmosphere and masterly use of Prussian blue. His landscape prints swept Japan and later profoundly influenced European Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, including Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.
Condition & Value
Very good overall color saturation with strong blue and pink pigments; shows light edge wear, minor toning, and subtle cockling typical of unbound washi sheets. Condition is very respectable and does not severely detract from marketability.
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Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.