Hiroshige II's series 'One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces (Shokoku meisho hyakkei)' (1859-1861)

Introduction

The series dates from the middle of Hiroshige II's career, when he was in his mid-thirties. At this point, he had just started using the name 'Hiroshige', since his master Hiroshige I had just died (in 1858), and Hiroshige II had taken over the gō 'Hiroshige'; the prints in this series are signed 'Hiroshige'.

The series title is in the tall rectangular cartouche in the top right corner; the title of each individual print is in the square cartouche to its left.

Province names given in the title are often (but not always) given in the so-called 'shūmei' form, in which only one character of the province's name is used (often with a different reading from that used in the full, multi-character form), along with the character 'shū' (州). Whichever form is used in the title, the other is also given (in parentheses) in the English translation of the title.

A few of the images in this series are closely based on those in the well-known Hiroshige I series Famous Views of the 60-odd Provinces. Such prints are indicated with a 'Yes' (for the Hiroshige I series) in the 'Copy' column in the table below.

Technical details

• Dates: 1859 (Tiger - Ansei 6), month 5 - 1861 (Rooster - Bunkyū 1), month 9
• Size: vertical ōban
• Signed: Hiroshige ga
• Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Edward F. Strange, in 'The Colour-Prints of Hiroshige', lists 75 prints in the series which were known to him. The 'Catalogue of the Hiroshige Memorial Exhibition' lists a total of 80 prints in the series. This page includes all the ones listed in both Strange and the Memorial Catalogue.

The numbering used below is that given in Strange, for the first 75. The additional prints were numbered in a sequence like that of the first list (i.e. by province/location). The one missing from the Memorial Catalogue list is the Great Waterfall at Mount Nachi (#61).

The Edo-Tokyo Museum has the most complete set of this series known, with all 81 prints being shown; they are available here, through the Tokyo Digital Museum.

The Prints

If we have a higher-quality image, that image can be viewed by clicking on the "Large Image" link, which gives the size of the image (for the benefit of those on slow links).

Image	Large Image	Number	Copy	Date	Title (Kanji)	Title (Rōmaji)	Title (English)	Description
		#1	No	1859/10	山城 大谷 眼鏡橋	Yamashiro Ōtani Megane-bashi	Megane bridge at Ōtani, Yamashiro (Jōshū) Province
		#2	No	1859/8	京都 祇園 祭礼	Kyōto Gion sairei	The Gion Festival, Kyoto
		#3	No	1859/8	京都 四条 夕 すずみ	Kyōto Shijō yū suzumi	Enjoying the cool in the evening at Shijō, Kyoto
		#4	No	1859/8	大和 長谷寺	Yamato Hase-dera	Hase Temple, Yamato (Washū) Province
		#5	No	1859/10	大和 よし野山	Yamato Yoshino-yama	Mount Yoshino, Yamato (Washū) Province
		#6	No	1859/9	泉州 境 なにわや の 松	Senshū Sakai Naniwaya no matsu	The Naniwaya pine tree at Sakai, Senshū (Izumi) Province	This famous pine tree is at the Naniwaya tea-house.
		#7	No	1859/2	泉州 牛滝 丹楓	Senshū Ushitaki Tanfū	Maple leaves at Ushitaki, Senshū (Izumi) Province
		#8	No	1860/3	摂州 難波橋 天神 祭 の 図	Sesshū Naniwa-bashi Tenjin matsuri no zu	View of the Tenjin Festival at the Naniwa Bridge, Sesshū (Settsū) Province	The Naniwa Bridge spans the Yodo River. (Yodo-gawa, 淀川) in Ōsaka, just upstream from Nakanoshima. . The Yodo river has a complicated system of names, with different sections having different 'local' names; the section the Naniwa spans is called the Ōkawa ( 大川, literally 'Big River'). Most of the old course of the Yodo River is now called the Kyū-Yodo-gawa ( 旧淀川, literally 'Former Yodo River'), as the main channel has been moved to an artificial one. Tenjin is the Japanese god of scholarship; this festival to him in Osaka is still being held. Sesshū province is sometimes written with the first character 攝.
		#9	No	1859/10	大阪 天保山	Ōsaka Tenpō-zan	Tenpō Hill, Osaka	Tenpō Hill is a man-made mound at the mouth of the Aji River (Aji-gawa, 安治川), the main water path to Osaka; it was formed out of spill from a dredging operation on the river, performed in the early 1830s to renew water access to Osaka. It was named Tenpō after the year period in which the project was undertaken; the government erected the lighthouse on top of the newly built hill once the dredging operation was completed.
		#10	No	1859/9	摂州 布引 乃 瀧	Sesshū Nunobiki no taki	The Nunobiki Waterfall, Sesshū (Settsu) Province	The character normally used for 'waterfall' now is 滝 (with the same reading, taki).
		#11	No	1861/5	伊賀 開戸山	Iga Hirakido-yama	Mount Hirakido, Iga (Ishū) Province
		#12	No	1859/8	伊勢 二見ヶ浦	Ise Futami-ga-ura	Forked Inlet, Ise (Seishū) Province
		#13	No	1859/10	伊勢 宮川 の 渡し場	Ise Miya-kawa no watashiba	The ferry landing on the Miya River, Ise (Seishū) Province
		#14	See Note 1	1859/8	尾張 津嶋 祭礼	Owari Tsushima sairei	The Tsushima Festival, Owari (Bishū) Province
		#15	No	1859/11	尾州 名古屋 真景	Bishū Nagoya shinkei	Actual view of Nagoya, Bishū (Owari) Province
		#16	No	1859/11	遠州 秋葉 遠景 袋井 凧	Enshū Akiba enkei Fukuroi tako	Kites and distant view of Mount Akiba as seen from Fukuroi, Enshū (Tōtōmi) Province
		#17	No	1860/11	駿河 原 之 風景	Suruga Hara no fūkei	Aerial view of Hara, Suruga (Sunshū) Province
		#18	No	1859/9	甲州 矢立 杉	Kōshū Yatate sugi	The Yatate cedar tree, Kōshū (Kai) Province
		#19	No	1859/11	豆州 箱根 権現	Zushū Hakone Gongen	Gongen Temple, Hakone, Zushū (Izu) Province
	772KB	#20	No	1859/5	相州 七里か濱	Sōshū Shichiri-ga-hama	Seven-Mile Beach, Sōshū (Sagami) Province
		#21	No	1860/3	武州　横浜　岩亀楼	Bushū Yokohama Gankirō	The Gankirō (Tea-house) at Yokohama, Bushū (Musashi) Province
		#22	No	1859/7	武蔵 秩父 山中	Musashi Chichibu sanchū	In the Chichibu Mountains, Musashi (Bushū) Province
		#23	No	1861/9	東都 高輪 海岸	Tōto Takanawa kaigan	Takanawa seashore, Edo
		#24	No	1859/10	武州 横浜 野毛	Bushū Yokohama Noge	Noge in Yokohama, Bushū (Musashi) Province
		#25	No	1859/11	房州 鋸山 日本寺	Bōshū Nokogiri-yama Nihon-ji	Nihon Temple on Mount Nokogiri, Bōshū (Awa) Province
		#26	No	1859/11	上総 笠盛寺 岩作り 観音	Kazusa Kasamori-dera iwazukuri Kannon	Stone-made Kannon at Kasamori Temple, Kazusa (Sōshū) Province	An alternative reading for the name of the temple is Kasamori-ji; it is also called Kuchu-Jiin ('temple in the air'). It is still standing, and is one of the 33 holy sites of Bandō pilgrimage. Kannon is the Japanese name for Guan Yin; the statue of her in the Main Hall was created in 1426, and the eleven-faced image of her enshrined at the top of the mountain reportedly dates to 784.
		#27	No	1859/5	下総 成田山 境内	Shimōsa Narita-san keidai	The compound on Mount Narita, Shimōsa (Sōshū) Province
		#28	No	1860/4	下総 舟橋 大神宮	Shimōsa Funabashi Daijin-gū	Daijin Shrine at Funabashi, Shimōsa (Sōshū) Province
		#29	No	1861/5	近江 磨針 嶺	Ōmi Surihari-mine	Surihari Peak, Ōmi (Gōshū) Province	The reading of this placename is given as Togihari in a few sources, but this does not seem to be correct. The name of this location is now usually written with the characters 摺汁. The last character of the caption is given in several sources as tōge, with the meaning "pass", but while that may be the common name of this location, the character in the caption here does not have that reading in any of a number of dictionaries, and is definitely not one of the characters that does have that reading.
		#30	No	1861/5	美濃 落合はし	Mino Ochiai-bashi	Ochiai Bridge, Mino (Nōshū) Province
		#31	Yes	1860/9	飛騨 籠 わたし	Hida kago watashi	Basket crossing, Hida (Hishū) Province	The name of the province is usually written with the second character 彈.
		#32	No	1859/10	信州 善光寺 道 久須里山	Shinshū Zenkō-ji michi Kusuri-yama	Mount Kusuri on the road to Zenkō Temple, Shinshū (Shinano) Province
		#33	No	1859/10	信州 木曽 の 雪	Shinshū Kiso no yuki	Snow on the Kiso Gorge, Shinshū (Shinano) Province
		#34	No	1860/3	信州 諏訪湖 八ツ目 鰻 赤魚 を 取	Shinshū Suwa-ko yatsume unagi akauo wo to(ru)	Catching lampreys, eels and red rockfish on Lake Suwa, Shinshū (Shinano) Province
		#35	No	1860/10	信州 桔梗 の 原	Shinshū Kikyō-ga-hara	Kikyō plain, Shinshū (Shinano) Province
		#36	No	1860/10	信州 戸隠山 九頭龍 大権現	Shinshū Togaku(shi)-yama Kuzuryū Dai-gongen	Nine-Headed-Dragon Dai-Gongen Shrine, Mount Togakushi, Shinshū (Shinano) Province	Togakushi's literal translation is 'door-slamming', a reference to the tale in Japanese mythology in which the Nine-Headed-Dragon is associated with the creation of Mount Togakushi. This association is the reason for the small shrine dedicated to the Kuzuryū. The print clearly shows the upper, middle and lower shrines of the Togakushi Shrine.
		#37	No	1859/9	信州 浅間山 真景	Shinshū Asama-yama shinkei	Actual view of Mount Asama, Shinshū (Shinano) Province
		#38	No	1859/10	日光 霧降 の 瀧	Nikkō Kirifuri no taki	Kirifuri Waterall, Nikkō	Nikko is in Shimotsuke (Yashū) Province. The character normally used for 'waterfall' now is 滝 (with the same reading, taki).
		#39	No	1860/10	下野 中禅寺湖 水	Shimotsuke Chūzenji-ko mizu	The water at Lake Chūzenji, Shimotsuke (Yashū) Province	Some sources give the alternative reading sui for the last character of the lake-name section, but this is incorrect; Chūzenji-ko is the form universally used in Japan.
		#40	No	1859/10	奥州 そとヶ濱	Ōshū Soto-ga-hama	Soto Coast, Ōshū (Mutsu) Province
		#41	Yes	1859/4	奥州 松島 真景	Ōshū Matsu-shima shinkei	Actual view of Matsu Island, Ōshū (Mutsu) Province
		#42	No	1860/9	出羽 鳥海山	Dewa Chōkai-zan	Mount Chōkai, Dewa (Ushū) Province
		#43	No	1859/12	若狭 かれゐ を 刺す	Wakasa karei wo sasu	Strung-up flounder, Wakasa (Jakushū) Province
		#44	No	1860/2	越前 三国 乃 大港	Echizen Mikuni no ōminato	The big harbour at Mikuni, Echizen (Esshū) Province
		#45	No	1859/11	加州 金沢 大乗寺	Kashū Kanazawa Daijō-ji	Daijō Temple, Kanazawa, Kashū (Kaga) Province
		#46	No	1859/9	越中 立山 真景	Etchū Tate-yama shinkei	Actual view of Mount Tate, Etchū (Essū) Province	Mount Tate is one of Japan's 'Three Holy Mountains' (Sanreizan), along with Mount Fuji and Mount Haku.
		#47	No	1859/9	越後 新潟 の 景	Echigo Niigata no kei	View of Niigata, Echigo (Esshū) Province
		#48	No	1859/11	佐渡 金山 奥 穴 の 図	Sado kinzan oku ana no zu	Image of the interior opening of a gold-mine, Sado (Sashū) Province	Some sources read the second word as kaneyama ('metal mine'), not kinzan ('gold mine'); the latter seems more likely, as Sado Island was known for its gold mines.
		#49	See Note 1	1859/10	丹後 天のはし立	Tango Ama-no-Hashidate	Ama-no-Hashidate, Tango (Tanshū) Province	The Ama-no-Hashidate Peninsula is one of the most famous natural features in Japan; its name can be translated as 'Passage to Heaven' or 'Bridge to Heaven'.
		#50	No	1859/11	但馬 鷹 の はま	Tajima Taka no hama	Taka Beach, Tajima (Tanshū) Province
		#51	No	1859/11	伯耆 下谷 真景	Hōki Shimotani shinkei	Actual view of Shimotani, Hōki (Hakushū) Province
		#52	No	1859/11	雲州 広瀬 真景	Unshū hirose shinkei	Actual view of Hirose, Unshū (Izumo) Province
		#53	Yes	1861/9	隠岐 焚火 社	Oki Takibi yashiro	Takibi Shrine, Oki (Inshū) Province
		#54	See Note 1	1859/9	播州 舞子 の 浜	Banshū Maiko no hama	Maiko Beach, Banshū (Harima) Province
		#55	No	1859/9	播州 姫路 市川 渡し	Banshū Himeji Ichikawa watashi	Ferry-boat on the Ichi River, Himeji, Banshū (Harima) Province
		#56	No	1859/10	播州 室津 真景	Banshū Muro-tsu shinkei	Actual view of Muro Harbor, Banshū (Harima) Province
		#57	No	1860/2	備前 瀧口山	Bizen Tatsukuchi-yama	Dragon Head Mountain, Bizen (Bishū) Province	The name of this mountain is usually given as Tatsunokuchi-yama (竜ノ口山, literally 'Head-of-the-dragon Mountain'), not the shortened form given in the caption here.
		#58	No	1859/7	安藝 宮島 汐干	Aki Miyajima shiohi	Low tide at Miyajima, Aki (Geishū) Province	The name of the province is now usually written with the second character 芸.
		#59	See Note 1	1859/11	周防 岩国 錦帯橋	Suō Iwakuni Kintai-kyō	Kintai Bridge at Iwakuni, Suō (Bōshū) Province	Some sources give the reading of the bridge's name as Kintai-bashi, but the form given here seems to be the usual one in Japan.
		#60	No	1859/9	紀州 熊野 岩茸 取	Kishū Kumano iwatake tori	Gathering Cliff Fungus at Kumano, Kishū (Kii) Province
		#61	No	1859/12	紀州 名智山 大瀧	Kishū Nachi-san ō-daki	The Great Waterfall at Mount Nachi, Kishū (Kii) Province	The character normally used for 'waterfall' now is 滝 (with the same reading, taki).
		#62	No	1859/8	紀州 加田 の 浦 真景	Kishū Kata no ura shinkei	Actual view of Kata Bay, Kishū (Kii) Province
		#63	See Note 1	1859/8	阿波 鳴門 真景	Awa naruto shinkei	Actual view of the whirlpools, Awa (Ashū) Province	There are two Awa Provinces - Awa Chiba (Bōshū), and Awa Tokushima (Ashū); this is Awa Tokushima.
		#64	No	1859/11	讃岐 久保谷 の はま	Sanuki Kubotani no hama	The seashore at Kubotani, Sanuki (Sanshū) Province
		#65	No	1859/9	讃岐 五剣山	Sanuki Goken-zan	Five-sword Mountain, Sanuki (Sanshū) Province
		#66	No	1861/1	伊豫 峰越 鴨坂網	Iyo Okoshi kamo saka ami	Netting wild geese on the hill at Okoshi, Iyo (Yoshū) Province	There is some uncertainty about the correct reading of the placename; most sources give Okoshi, but 'O' is not a listed reading for that character in any dictionary. (Not that that makes it impossible for that to be correct - placenames often have idiosyncratic readings. There is another place written with the same kanji (峰越) in another province, with the reading 'Minekoshi'. The name of the province is now usually written with the second character 予.
		#67	No	1859/12	豊前 小倉領 海岸 景	Buzen Kokura-ryō kaigan kei	View of the coast, Kokura District, Buzen (Hoshū) Province	The large structure in the foreground is the memorial to Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵).
		#68	No	1859/12	豊後 日田 釜渕	Bungo Hita kama-(ga)-fuchi	Whirlpools, Hita, Bungo (Hōshū) Province	There is some uncertainty about the reading, and meaning, of the caption. As to the town, some sources give the name as Hida, not Hita, but Hita is a significant town in Bungo which is written with these kanji. The name of the specific feature is given the reading 'Kokebuchi' in one Japanese source, but this reading is not attested to in any dictionary. This pair of characters is given the reading kama-ga-fuchi in some dictionaries, with the meaning 'whirlpool', and that is probably the meaning here. The character 淵, used in some listings of the caption, is a variant form of the second character.
		#69	No	1859/8	肥前 五島 鯨漁 の 図	Hizen Gotō gei-ryō no zu	Image of a whale hunt at Gotō, Hizen (Hishū) Province	Some sources read the activity as kujira-ryō (same meaning).
		#70	No	1859/11	肥前 長崎 目鏡橋	Hizen Nagasaki Megane-bashi	Spectacles Bridge, Nagasaki, Hizen (Hishū) Province
		#71	No	1859/10	肥前 長崎 漢船 の 津	Hizen Nagasaki kara-fune no tsu	Harbor of Chinese ships, Nagasaki, Hizen (Hishū) Province
		#72	No	1859/10	長崎 丸山 の 景	Nagasaki Maruyama no kei	View of Maruyama, Nagasaki	Maruyama has been the main entertainment area of Nagasaki for centuries. During the Edo Period, it was the location of the 'green houses'; today, it contains bars and pachinko parlors.
		#73	No	1859/12	薩州 枕崎 海門ヶ嶽 寿 星 踊	Sasshū Makurazaki Kaimongatake ju-sei odori	Dance of the Star of Longevity at Kaimongatake, Makurazaki, Sasshū (Satsuma) Province	An alternative reading for the 'longevity star' part of the title is kotobuki hoshi. Some sources read the second charactyer of the placename as 咲.
		#74	No	1861/9	對州 海岸	Taishū kaigan	The coast, Taishū (Tsushima) Province	The name of the province is now usually written with the first character 対.
		#75	No	1860/10	東都 猿若町	Tōto Saruwaka-chō	Saruwaka District, Edo	Signs in Edo's theatre district.
		#76	No	1859/?	京都 東福寺 通天橋	Kyōto Tōfuku-ji Tsūten-(kyō)-bashi	Tsūten-kyō Bridge, Tōfuku Temple, Kyōto	Tōfuku Temple is famed as one of the best places for viewing Kyōto's fantastic fall foliage. The maple trees around the Tsuten Bridge are one of the highlights of that display.
		#77	No	1861/?	東都 青山 百人町 星 燈籠	Tōto Aoyama Hyakunin-chō hoshi tōrō	Star lanterns in the Hyakunin District, Aoyama, Edo	The name Aoyama (literally, "blue mountain") comes from a samurai named Aoyama Tadanari of the Tokugawa Shogunate who had a mansion in this area. Hyakunin-chō (literally, "hundred people district") is now an Asian ethnic neighbourhood in Tokyo; it is an unofficial Korea-town, and also has Thai and Malayan elements.
		#78	No	1861/?	下総 印番ぬま	Shimōsa Inba-numa	Lake Inba, Shimōsa (Sōshū) Province
		#79	No	1859/10	奥州 相馬 妙見 祭 馬追 の 図	Ōshū Sōma Myōken matsuri umao no zu	Image of the horse chase at the Myōken Festival, Sōma, Ōshū (Mutsu) Province	Myoken is the Buddhist Bodhisattva (God) of the North Star and Big Dipper. When mariners navigated using the stars, the Big Dipper and the North Star (which is found using the Big Dipper) were key celestial landmarks; people associated with using the sea (mariners, merchants, etc) began to worship the Big Dipper as the Bodhisattva of safe voyages. He is also the guardian of horses.
		#80	No	1861/?	常陸 筑波山	Hitachi Tsukuba-san	Mount Tsukuba, Hitachi (Jōshū) Province	Mount Tsukuba near Tokyo is one of the most famous mountains in Japan. The name is sometimes written with the characters 築波.
		#81	No	1859/?	上州 伊賀保 さる沢	Jōshū Ikaho Sarusawa	Sarusawa, Ikaho, Jōshū (Kōzuke) Province	One of the meanings of saru is 'monkey'; although since this word in the caption is written with hiragana and not kanji, it is not possible to be sure that was the meaning intended. However, the monkeys in the trees make it likely that was the intended meaning; if so, saru-sawa would literally mean "monkey valley". The placename is now often written with the character 香 as the middle character.

1. The prior series shows this location, but the image is completely different.