#40. Atagoyama

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

Typical Price

Later reprint (Meiji–Taisho era publishers): $100–$600
Good later impression (Edo-period, worn blocks): $3,000–$12,000
Good early impression (vivid bokashi, crisp key lines): $12,000–$40,000
Fine early impression (exceptional color freshness and condition): $40,000–$100,000

From Hiroshige's One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (1856–58), a 118-print series of vertical oban landscapes and genre scenes that defined the visual image of Edo for generations. A complete set sold for $405,400 at Sotheby's Online Jul 2024.

Description

Atagoyama, a modest hill in the Shiba district of Edo, was topped by the Atago Shrine, which had been established there in 1603 at the founding of the city. Its steep stone steps were famous — the site of a celebrated feat of horsemanship where a samurai rode his horse up and down the precipitous staircase. This numbered Edo view likely shows the shrine's hilltop position and the views it commanded over the surrounding city.