Woodblock Print

Medium:: Color woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art Institute of Chicago

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 color woodblock print in oban format bearing the name of Utagawa Hiroshige, whose landscape designs rank among the most recognized images in all of Japanese art. Hiroshige's genius lay in his ability to make viewers feel present within a scene—to sense the chill of falling snow, the humidity of a sudden rain shower, or the stillness of a ferry crossing at dusk. His prints communicated not just topography but mood, transforming geographic views into emotional experiences. This print continues the Hiroshige tradition of using the woodblock medium to capture the transient beauty of the natural world in fixed, repeatable form.