Signed: Hiroshige hitsu; Publisher’s seal: Koshihei (Koshimuraya Heisuke); censor’s seal: aratame; ōban, 31.0 x 24.0 cm; nishiki-e with fukibokashi

Print 53 from “Pictures of Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces”. A group of five cranes is flying across the morning sky over the coast of Wakanoura in the (old) Province of Kii. In the midground is a small island with temple buildings, which is connected to the shore by a triple-arched bridge. The print in the Riese Collection is a good, early edition, produced while Hiroshige was still alive. The embossed printing of the top-most crane and the blue of the feathers of the middle one are considered to be indications of an excellent printing state.

Hering; M. Körling, Dortmund (1960)
Riese Collection #169

In spite of rather distracting purple on the band of clouds between the ocean and the mountains, this is a fine, early impression, presumably printed during Hiroshige’s life time. It has the embossing on the upper bird and the blue feathers on the central bird which Stewart singles out as characteristics of the best impressions. The other colours are printed in register, and there are baren marks in the area above the waves.

Reproduced in: Ingelheim catalogue, no. 143.