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HIROSHIGE, Utagawa (1797 - 1858)		One hundred Views of Edo Hall of Thirty-Three Bays, Fukagawa
		Signed:                      Hiroshige ga Publisher's seal:       Uoya Eikichi Date:                          8/1857 Size:                           oban tate-e (c. 35 x 23 cms / 14" x 9") Condition: Very good impression and color, wear to margins, good overall condition. ref. no.: # 722805 Price: € 1,350.00

This view from behind "The Hall of Thirty-three Bays" at first seems monotonous, but actually is a skillful expression of the use to which the long rear veranda was put: it was an archery range, and Hiroshige's depiction conveys the sense of a speeding arrow. A shooting trial in fact seems to be under way here, since the heads of all the spectators in the foreground are turned to the left, watching the course of an arrow as the archer shoots from a seated position at the south end of the veranda to the right. The contestants were expected to shoot the arrows so that they stayed within the confines of the veranda, clearing the length of the building without hitting any part of it. Reference: Braziller, "Hiroshige - One hundred Views of Edo"; Brooklyn Museum, 1986; no. #69. Shueisha (publ.), Ukiyo-e Taikei; vol. 17, no. 69; 1975.

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