Hiroshige III, Oyster Farming in Hiroshima, 1877, Paper

Tokubei ANDO (1842-1894) known as HIROSHIGE III 三代目 歌川広重

Oyster farming in Hiroshima
Japanese print from the collection Products of Greater Japan 大日本物産圖會, Occupations of the Japanese だいにっぽんぶっさんずえ Dai Nippon bussan zue
1877
Laid Paper
Tokyo
Publisher: Ōkura Magobei 大倉孫兵衛

Dimensions: 24.8 x 17.8cm (Chūban)

Superb Japanese print with bright colors and motifs typical of the work of Hiroshige III representing an oyster farming scene in Aki Prefecture (Hiroshima) around 1870 in Japan. Some amusing details, such as the fishing scenes with the fish on the right, or what appears to be an octopus in the lower left, also demonstrate the artist's skill and keen eye for detail. Of particular note is the very subtle bamboo-effect framing, which showcases the master's virtuosity in depicting textures and materials. The print is beautifully fresh and the details are well-defined; the only minor flaw is a slightly creased lower right corner. The gradations of the sky and water are magnificent, achieved using the Bokashi technique, a hallmark of the great Japanese Ukiyo-e workshops.

"Oyster farming in the west and nori seaweed farming in the east"

Oyster farming began in Hiroshima Bay at the beginning of the Edo period. Since oysters naturally grow on the rocks along the coast of the South China Sea, someone had the idea of ​​throwing stones into the sea to attach them. Later, the Hibitate method was developed: oysters are cultivated by attaching them to bamboo or tree branches placed in coastal mudflats, as illustrated in our print. By the mid-Edo period, oysters were shipped to Osaka on oyster boats, and the region held a monopoly on their trade. The oyster boats would travel to Osaka in the autumn, with the oyster farmers mooring their vessels at the foot of the bridges on the Okawa and Dotonbori rivers to work either on board or in huts scattered along the riverbanks.

Aki Province (安芸国 Aki no kuni) or Geishū (芸州) was a province in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū, encompassing the western part of present-day Hiroshima Prefecture.

Utagawa Hiroshige III (三代目 歌川 広重) was a 19th-century Japanese painter. Born in 1842 and dying relatively young in 1894, his origins are unknown, and a family connection to Hiroshige Andō and Hiroshige II is highly unlikely. He was not part of the Utagawa school and never used that name.

A master of printmaking, disciple and successor of Hiroshige Andō, he took over his master's workshop in 1865. He was, in fact, part of the last generation of ukiyo-e artists, along with Hōen, Kuniteru, Sahahide, and Kunisada II, whose works were selected by the shogunal government for the 1867 Universal Exposition in Paris. These works—the famous Japanese prints—were sold locally after the exhibition, thus contributing to the first wave of Japonisme in Europe, which was sparked by this event.

Like his contemporaries, Hiroshige III delighted in depicting the innovations of his time with aniline dyes in highly vibrant tones. He was very interested in railways (one of the first lines built in Japan connected Tokyo to Yokohama), and in the foreigners who settled in Yokohama from 1868 onward, and he enjoyed depicting them at leisure, particularly in restaurants.

A valuable document held at the Tokyo National Library and recently made available to scholars is significant: the official records relating to one hundred prints commissioned by the shogunal government for the 1867 Paris Exposition. Fifty of these prints, collected in two albums, depict female figures in various professions, intended to illustrate Japanese customs, while the other half consists of landscapes, primarily views of Edo. The artists who shared this official commission, chosen from among the best of the time, all belonged to the last generation of ukiyo-e, including Hiroshige III, who created the collection from which our print is taken for this occasion.