Andô (Utagawa) Hiroshige (1797-1858), four prints from the s - Lot 174

Andô (Utagawa) Hiroshige (1797-1858), four prints from the series "The Six Rivers with Jewels of the Different Provinces", Shokoku Mu Tamagawa, 諸国六玉川, Japan, Edo period, ca. 1857 Four ôban tate e format prints, ink and polychrome on paper, depicting: - Ômi Noji, Noji in Ômi province. The poet Shunrai, accompanied by his two servants, contemplates the autumn moon reflected in the ripples of the river Tama, surrounded by lespedeza bushes. Print illustrated with a poem from Shunrai's poetic anthology Senzaishû (Minamoto no Toshiyori). Tomorrow I'll return / to Noji's Tama river / beyond the lespedezes / on the sparkling waves / the moon has stopped. - Kii Kôya, Kôya in Kii province. A monk leaning on a pilgrim's staff observes with his companion the rapid course of the Tama River. In the background, against a backdrop of waterfalls, pine trees and cryptomeria, we glimpse a bridge and pavilion leading to the monastery on Mount Kôya. Print illustrated with a poem from the poetic anthology Fûgashû by Kûkai (Kôbô Daishi): Garde-toi d'oublier / et de puiser / voyageur, / l'eau de la rivière Tama / dans les profondeurs de Kôya. - Settsu Tôi, Tôi in Settsu province. Kneeling, two women, in a landscape of pines and hills, are busy beating laundry on the bank of the Tama River, while night has fallen, illuminated by the moon. Print illustrated with a poem from Shunrai's poetic anthology Senzaishû (Minamoto no Toshiyori): From the wind in the pines / the rustle makes autumn / even more desolate / in the village of the river Tama / where clothes are trod. - Musashi Chôfu, Chôfu in Musashi province. Washerwomen bustle about, one rinsing the linen in the lively water of the Tama River, two others working it with their fuller, others busy further away spreading the long strips on the bank, which are about to bleach in the sun. Print illustrated with a poem from the poetic anthology Kashû de Teika (Fujiwara no Sadaie): The linen destined for tribute, ah... / put to bleach on the hedge / is all penetrated by the morning dew... / Village of the river Tama. Publisher: Maruya Kyûshirô. Ca. 1857. Margins trimmed, minor accidents and repairs.