Hiroshige Ando (1797-1858)        

 Ando Hiroshige was the second of the two great masters of the Japanese landscape woodblock print (“Hiroshige”). Hiroshige created great artistic images, even though he was not as famous as the others in Japanese.

-Prints From Hiroshige-
(click on the image to enlarge)

Images credited to and permission granted by Jim Breen

Hiroshige was born in Edo (known as Tokyo today) under the name of Ando Tokutaro (Chiappa). He is the son of a fireman and a samurai (Chiappa). Hiroshige’s parents died in 1890, when he was twelve years old. After his parent’s death, Hiroshige decided to move toward the art world (“Hiroshige”). In 1811, Hiroshige received a chance to join the famous Utawaga painting school. In 1812, he was accepted to the school by the woodblock artist Toyahiro, and later took up the name of Utawaga. Hiroshige’s early prints were book illustrations in the period of 1818s-1830s. His first landscape series is entitled “Eight Famous Views of Omi” (“Hiroshige”).

In 1832, Hiroshige’s first greatest artistic success was “Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido” (“Hiroshige”). This series was made when Hiroshige went on a journey on the Tokaido. The Tokaido was a coastal highway connecting Edo and Kyoto, the residence of the emperor (Chiappa). The stations had lodges and restaurants so travelers could spend the night and get a meal (Chiappa). This series brought him fame and success, so for the next twenty years, he focused on landscape prints.

Hiroshige is a Japanese printer and color-print artist of the ukiyo-e school (Fact Monster). He lived his entire life in Edo, until he died from cholera at age 62, in 1858. Hiroshige’s last great series was considered as one of his greatest masterpiece (Fact Monster). Hiroshige was considered a swarming artist of ukiyoe, producing more than 5,400 prints (Fact Monster). Hiroshige painted fish, flowers, and birds too, but the most important prints are landscapes. Hiroshige was represented in the major museum in Tokyo, London, New York City, and Boston, and in many private collectors (“Hiroshige”, GuruNet).