Hiroshige II - One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces - Mikuni

Hiroshige II (1826–1869)

Date: 1860
Publisher: Uoya Eikichi
Series: One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces (Shokoku Meisho Hyakkei)
Genre: Ukiyo-e, Landscape Print (Meisho-e)
Medium: Woodblock Print

This original Japanese woodblock print by Hiroshige II depicts Mikuni Port in Echizen Province, one of the most important commercial harbors along the Sea of Japan during the Edo period. The composition is dominated by the immense hull of a merchant vessel in the background, creating a dramatic perspective that frames the bustling harbor. Below, a small ferry boat carries passengers across the water, providing a vivid contrast between the scale of maritime commerce and everyday life.

Published in 1860 as part of the celebrated series One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces, the print exemplifies Hiroshige II's mastery of landscape design and his inheritance of the visual language developed by his teacher, Utagawa Hiroshige. The large ship depicted is a kitamaebune, one of the merchant vessels that transported rice, kelp, herring, and other goods along Japan's northern trade routes. Through its bold composition and attention to local geography, the print captures both the economic importance of Mikuni Port and the dynamic spirit of travel and commerce in nineteenth-century Japan.

Condition: Good impression and color. Some holes in corner and mild staining and light pencil writing in bottom border as shown. Not backed.