utagawa-hiroshige-ii

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Source:: British Museum

Typical Price

Later reprint (Meiji–Taisho era publishers): $50–$400
Good later impression (Edo-period): $1,000–$5,000
Good early impression (vivid color, fine bokashi): $5,000–$20,000
Fine early impression (exceptional color and condition): $20,000–$60,000

Hiroshige produced an estimated 8,000 designs over his 40-year career, making him one of the most prolific masters of ukiyo-e. His market has strengthened significantly in recent years, with the 2025 Sotheby's Paris record of $2.4M and growing international collector interest.

Description

A print associated with Utagawa Hiroshige II, the student and adopted son who inherited the Hiroshige name after the original master's death in 1858. Hiroshige II (born Suzuki Chinpei) continued working in his teacher's landscape style, producing prints that maintained the visual language of the Hiroshige school while inevitably reflecting a different artistic personality. The succession of the Hiroshige name was common practice in Edo-period artistic lineages, where a prestigious studio name carried commercial value and artistic authority. Distinguishing the work of master and successor remains an ongoing challenge for scholars and collectors.