Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797-1858). <em>Original Fuji, Meguro, No. 25 in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo</em>, 4th month of 1857. Woodblock print, Image: 13 5/8 x 9 in. (34.6 x 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.25 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 30.1478.25_PS20.jpg)

Original Fuji, Meguro, No. 25 in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Artist:Utagawa Hiroshige

Medium: Woodblock print

Geograhical Locations:

Dates:4th month of 1857

Dimensions: Image: 13 5/8 x 9 in. (34.6 x 22.9 cm) Sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36 x 23.5 cm)

Collections:

Exhibitions:

Accession Number: 30.1478.25

Image: 30.1478.25_PS20.jpg,

Catalogue Description:
This mini-Fuji, constructed in 1812, preceded the "new" one in the previous print by seventeen years and it lay along the same bluff overlooking the Meguro River. Of all the mini-Fujis of Edo, this seems to have been one of the most frequently visited by the general populace. The large pine jutting out from the side of the mound was the only tree on the south side. At the base of the mound, benches were set up by teahouse owners and cherry trees planted for viewing pleasure. The "Original Fuji" was dismantled in 1878 and its stone markers were removed to a Hikawa shrine about one mile north along the bluff where they remain today. The site first became the villa of the Meiji statesman Iwakura Tomomi, and then of the businessman-politician Nezu Kaichiro (whose fine art collection is preserved in the Nezu Art Museum in Aoyama). Today it is a luxury apartment building, "King Homes," occupied largely by foreigners and the site of the "Original Fuji" itself has been replaced by a swimming pool. The trees in this print are shown in autumn foliage, as shown by the green and brown coloring and the heavy clothing worn by all the figures. Possibly, whoever made the seasonal classification, may have wished to keep the two Meguro Fujis together.

Brooklyn Museum