Hiroshige's 'Famous Places in Edo' and 'Famous Places in the Eastern Capital' (1831 - 1858)

Introduction

Hiroshige did a large number of these 'Famous Places in Edo'/'Famous Places in Tōto' series, and it is often necessary to consult small details of prints with that series name (e.g. the shape and location of the title cartouche, or the publisher), in order to tell which of the many series with this, or a similar name, a given print belongs to. This page is an attempt to ameliorate that process.

His famous final series, '100 Views of Famous Places in Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)', is not included here, since as a tate-e (vertical, or 'portrait') series, it is easily distinguished from these others (and also his other few tate-e series, such as 'Pictures of Famous Places in the 60-Odd Provinces' (1853), the ''Upright' Tōkaidō' (1855), and '36 Views of Mt. Fuji' (1858)).

There are some smaller ones (i.e. chūban, koban, or yotsugiri), as well as a very few tate-e format which are not part of '100 Views of Famous Places in Edo', but they are not treated here, as they are easy to distinguish from all the others.

Kōto Meisho

It does not seem to be purely accidental, as there are too many prints with this name on them. It is not known whether this was simply a playful joke, of the kind often found in print titles, or if there was some other reason. The translation 'Bay Capital' (in the sense of 'capital on the bay') has been chosen for it; this also happens to be the literal translation of those two characters.

Since a fairly large number of prints use this name, they are broken out separately.

What Makes a Series

For instance, one might think all the prints of a series might have a single publisher - but this is definitely not so, as shown by series such as Hiroshige's own 'Hōeidō Tōkaidō', which was initially a collaboration between two different publishers. Temporal locality, or lack thereof, is no guarantee either; cases are known where publication of a series came to a halt, only to resume after a gap of quite a few years.

Perhaps the best single guide to what makes a series a series is the overall 'look and feel'; the shape and location of the title cartouche, etc. However, just as nautical charts carry the admonition "prudent mariners should not rely solely on any single aid to navigation", a number of factors (including the publisher) are being taken into account here in deciding what is, and is not, a series.

Editions

Combined with the point above, this can create some arbitrary divisions; a group which are known from later printings are sometimes shown as a separate group, when in fact they may just be ones only known from a later printing.

A search will have to be instituted for 'early' and 'late' versions of all the prints shown here; with that data in hand, it may become clearer what's actually going on here. (I.e. if there are many prints which exist in both 'early' and 'late' versions, it's probably one series which was re-printed later, perhaps with some additions/changes. However, if most prints seem to exist in only one version, that would tend to indicate either two separate series, or one series whose publication was interrupted.

List Tables

To aid in finding the series a print belongs to, the first set of tables (below) are arranged by date, the second set arranges the prints by their distinguishing characteristics (primarily the number, shape and location of the title cartouches). Within each group, the tables are in groups, the first of which covers series with names with 'Edo', the middle covering series with 'Kōto' name, and the last of which covers names with 'Tōto'.

Publishers are listed by the establishment name, and the seal name (which many publishers are commonly known by). To find out the publisher's name, please consult the linked entry; it is given there.

The descriptions of the title location omit 'top/upper', since there are no prints here which have titles in the lower part of the print. Similarly, rather than 'ground right corner', etc, the simple "right ground" is used; plain "corner" means they are to be found in both left and right corners. Next, "text in ground" signifies that a sub-title (the title of the individual print in the series) is given in the ground, not in the title cartouche (which contains only the series title). Finally, double cartouches contain the series title in one (usually the vertical one), and the title of the individual print in the other (usually the square one).

Tables by Date

Name (English)	Name (Rōmaji)	Date(s)	Publisher(s)	Characteristics
Famous Places in the Bay Capital	Kōto meisho	Mid-1830's to Early 1840's	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche with rounded top and inverse rounded bottom in right margin
Famous Places in the Bay Capital	Kōto meisho	Mid-1830's	Kansendō (Sen'ichi)	Single irregular cartouche in various places in ground

Name (English)	Name (Rōmaji)	Date(s)	Publisher(s)	Characteristics
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	1831	Shōeidō (Kawashō)	No title cartouche, title in right ground; writing in right margin
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-1830's	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in right margin
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-late-1830's	Nunokichi	Single squarish cartouche in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Late 1830's	Shōeidō (Kawashō)	No title cartouche, title in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Late 1830's	Unknown	Single squarish cartouche in ground
Among Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho no uchi	Late 1830's	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in ground, text in ground
Among Assorted Hills [at] Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho saka-dukushi no uchi	Late 1830's to Early 1840's	Kinkyōdō (Yamashō)	Single vertical cartouche with rounded top and inverse rounded bottom in right margin, text in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Late 1830's to Mid-1840's	Unknown	No title cartouche, title in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Late 1830's to Mid-1840's	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in right margin
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Ca. 1840	Jukakudō (Marusei)	No title cartouche, title in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Ca. 1840	Shōfukudō (Jōkin)	Single irregular vertical cartouche in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital: Eight Views of the Sumida River	Tōto meisho no uchi Sumida-gawa hakkei	Ca. 1840	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in right ground, text in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Early-1840's	Tenjudō (Ekichi)	Single vertical cartouche with rounded top and inverse rounded bottom in right ground, text in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Early-1840's	Mankichi (firm name unknown)	Single squarish cartouche in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-1840's	Masugin (firm name unknown)	No title cartouche, title in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-1840's	Unknown	Single vertical cartouche in right ground, text in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-1840's	Eikyūdō (seal name unknown)	Single irregular horizontal cartouche in middle ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-1840's	Sengyokudō (Etatsu)	Single vertical cartouche in ground, text in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-late-1840's	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in right margin
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Ca. 1850	Jukakudō (Marusei)	Single vertical cartouche with rounded top and inverse rounded bottom in right ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	1853/6	Kansendō (Sen'ichi)	Single squarish cartouche in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	1856/9	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in right margin

Tables by Distinguishing Characteristics

Name (English)	Name (Rōmaji)	Date(s)	Publisher(s)	Characteristics
Famous Places in the Bay Capital	Kōto meisho	Mid-1830's to Early 1840's	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche with rounded top and inverse rounded bottom in right margin
Famous Places in the Bay Capital	Kōto meisho	Mid-1830's	Kansendō (Sen'ichi)	Single irregular cartouche in various places in ground

Name (English)	Name (Rōmaji)	Date(s)	Publisher(s)	Characteristics
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	1831	Shōeidō (Kawashō)	No title cartouche, title in ground; writing in right margin
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Late 1830's	Shōeidō (Kawashō)	No title cartouche, title in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Late 1830's to Mid-1840's	Unknown	No title cartouche, title in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Ca. 1840	Jukakudō (Marusei)	No title cartouche, title in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-1840's	Masugin (firm name unknown)	No title cartouche, title in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-1830's	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in right margin
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Late 1830's to Mid-1840's	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in right margin
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-late-1840's	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in right margin
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	1856/9	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in right margin
Among Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho no uchi	Late 1830's	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in ground, text in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-1840's	Sengyokudō (Etatsu)	Single vertical cartouche in ground, text in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital: Eight Views of the Sumida River	Tōto meisho no uchi Sumida-gawa hakkei	Ca. 1840	Kikakudō (Sanoki)	Single vertical cartouche in right ground, text in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-1840's	Unknown	Single vertical cartouche in right ground, text in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Ca. 1850	Jukakudō (Marusei)	Single vertical cartouche with rounded top and inverse rounded bottom in right ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Early-1840's	Tenjudō (Ekichi)	Single vertical cartouche with rounded top and inverse rounded bottom in right ground, text in ground
Among Assorted Hills [at] Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho saka-dukushi no uchi	Late 1830's to Early 1840's	Kinkyōdō (Yamashō)	Single vertical cartouche with rounded top and inverse rounded bottom in right margin, text in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-late-1830's	Nunokichi	Single squarish cartouche in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Late 1830's	Unknown	Single squarish cartouche in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Early-1840's	Mankichi (firm name unknown)	Single squarish cartouche in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	1853/6	Kansendō (Sen'ichi)	Single squarish cartouche in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Ca. 1840	Shōfukudō (Jōkin)	Single irregular vertical cartouche in ground
Famous Places in the Eastern Capital	Tōto meisho	Mid-1840's	Eikyūdō (seal name unknown)	Single irregular horizontal cartouche in middle ground

Acknowledgements

Thanks also to Fuji Arts, whose Web-site was the source of many additional prints; the Museum of Fine Arts, whose excellent Web-site of their collection provided many images, captions, etc; and John Resig, whose Japanese Woodblock Print Search site has been a great help in locating good images of these prints.