Here is the signature "Hiroshige ga." However, it does not date from that period (neither Hiroshige I, II, nor III). I have no idea who the artist might be.
It seems its a knock off and perhaps not by any known artist. Well, now I know. My grandmother was so sure it was something very special and gifted it to me under that assumption. So that makes it very valuable to me. Thank you for your reply.
The design is documented by Marc Kahn on his Shōtei site:
It is *based* on a Shōtei design, with various modifications. Kahn calls it "an absolutely outrageous knock-off" -- that may sound harsh, but have a look at the original and I think you'll agree!
-A
Oh my, I see what you mean. The scene has definitely been embellished. Thank you for the reply and the information.
Back in the early 20th century, there was an influx of Western tourism to Japan. Many of the tourists had on their list of ambitions to bring home a Hiroshige print. Japanese print publishers were all too pleased to be able to help those folks realize that ambition. Hence, this absolutely outrageous knock-off, and many others.
Over the years, I've corresponded with some collectors who seek out such prints, many of which have excellent production values and can be purchased inexpensively. An interesting niche...
This print was also purchased by my great aunt at the same time and she framed them both to match as a pair. So far no one has been able to identify the artist.
![](<a href="https://shirokasamatsu.art/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/logo-horizontal-2-600x300.png%5B/fusion_imageframe%5D%5B/fusion_builder_column_inner%5D%5Bfusion_builder_column_inner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://shirokasamatsu.art/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/logo-horizontal-2-600x300.png){kind=logo}
![](<a href="https://shirokasamatsu.art/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/orange-symbol-600x372.png%5B/fusion_imageframe%5D%5B/fusion_builder_column_inner%5D%5B/fusion_builder_row_inner%5D%5B/fusion_builder_column%5D%5B/fusion_builder_row%5D%5B/fusion_builder_container%5D" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://shirokasamatsu.art/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/orange-symbol-600x372.png)
Here is the signature "Hiroshige ga." However, it does not date from that period (neither Hiroshige I, II, nor III). I have no idea who the artist might be.
It seems its a knock off and perhaps not by any known artist. Well, now I know. My grandmother was so sure it was something very special and gifted it to me under that assumption. So that makes it very valuable to me. Thank you for your reply.
The design is documented by Marc Kahn on his Shōtei site:
https://shotei.com/artists/shotei/copies/copies.htm#M-107
It is *based* on a Shōtei design, with various modifications. Kahn calls it "an absolutely outrageous knock-off" -- that may sound harsh, but have a look at the original and I think you'll agree!
-A
Oh my, I see what you mean. The scene has definitely been embellished. Thank you for the reply and the information.
Back in the early 20th century, there was an influx of Western tourism to Japan. Many of the tourists had on their list of ambitions to bring home a Hiroshige print. Japanese print publishers were all too pleased to be able to help those folks realize that ambition. Hence, this absolutely outrageous knock-off, and many others.
Over the years, I've corresponded with some collectors who seek out such prints, many of which have excellent production values and can be purchased inexpensively. An interesting niche...
This print was also purchased by my great aunt at the same time and she framed them both
to match as a pair. So far no one has been able to identify the artist. 