Japanese Views Portfolio Notes

The very lovely Japanese Views portfolio of note cards showcases four Japanese woodcut images by the great Utagawa Hiroshige. All the originals were gifts from James A. Michener to the Honolulu Academy of Art. It's hard to choose a favorite among these views: The cover image of Mt. Fuji in the spring, Koshigaya in Musashi Province and The Otsuki Plain in Kai Province, both colored woodblock prints from Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji, 1858; Grounds of the Kameido Tenjin Shrine and with cherry blossoms in the foreground and boats on a large lake, Massaki Viewed from Suijin Woods on the East Bank of the Sumida River, both color woodblock prints form One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 1856.