Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige II ( 1826 - 1869 )
Title: Maple Leaves at Takinogawa; Takinogawa kôyô
Series: Thirty-six Views of the Eastern Capital; Tôto sanjûrokkei
Publisher: Sanoya Kihei ( Kikakudô )
Date: 1862; late Edo period
Signed: Hiroshige ga
Format: Oban; 14 1/2 x 9 1/2 in.; Woodblock print
Condition: Excellent impression, color, and condition. First edition.
Hiroshige II - Maple Leaves at Takinogawa
Hiroshige II, born Chimpei Morita, belonged to a family of firemen. The protégé of Hiroshige, Hiroshige II was adopted by this great ukiyo-e master in 1845. Hiroshige II used the name Shigenobu until his teacher's death in 1858. He soon married his teacher's daughter, Otatsu, and took the name Hiroshige II. Around 1865, he divorced his wife, and moved to Yokohama. During this time, he designed prints and painted tea boxes and lanterns to make a living under the names Shigenobu and Ryusho. In the years following his divorce, Hiroshige II stopped producing work. Over the course of his career, he used several different names including Hiroshige II, Ichiryusai, Ichiyusai, Kisai, Ryusai, Ryusho, and Shigenobu.
