Making Stretched Dried Abalone in Ise Province from the series Dai Nippon Bussan Zue (Products of Greater Japan)

 

Japanese Color Woodblock Print

Making Stretched Dried Abalone in Ise Province

from the series Dai Nippon Bussan Zue

(Products of Greater Japan)

by Utagawa Hiroshige III, 1877

Silkworm Culture in Iwaki Province from the series Dai Nippon Bussan Zue (Products of Greater Japan)


IHL Cat. #1493

About This Print


One of 118 prints in the series Dai Nippon Bussan Zue (Products of Greater Japan)issued in August 1877 to coincide with the opening of Japan’s first National Industrial Exposition (Naikoku Kangyō Hakurankai) held in Tokyo’s Ueno Park, depicting men and women cutting abalone (awabe) into long strips and laying them out to dry.  

The artist based many of his designs on the designs that appeared in the 1799 book Nihon Sankai Meisan Zue (Famous Sea and Land Products in Japan), leaving some question whether everything Hiroshige III portrayed in the series was truly the "state of the art" in 1877 when the series was issued. (Although for many activities pictured, things wouldhave looked much the same in 1877 as in 1799.) In many cases, the information in the scroll is also copied from the earlier work.

click on image to enlarge
長鮑制
Illustration of making dried abalone in Ise Province from Nihon Sankai Meisan Zue (Famous Sea and Land Products in Japan), 1799

Ise Province (伊勢国 Ise no kuni) was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today includes most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered on Iga, Kii, Mino, Ōmi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was Seishū (勢州).1

Multiple Editions (Variant Printings)

At least three variant printings (editions) were made of this series.  Each variant printing uses a different colored cartouche containing the series' title, either red, green or rainbow-colored.  Different colored borders were also used and variances in the use of colors and shading are present in the three editions.


Print Details

 IHL Catalog
 #1493
 Title or Description Making Stretched Dried Abalone in Ise Province
 同国 [伊勢国] 長鮑製之図 dōkoku [Ise no kuni] naga awabi sei no zu
 Series
 Dai Nippon Bussan Zue 大日本物産図会 (Products of Greater Japan)
 Artist Utagawa Hiroshige III (1842–1894)
 Signature
Andō Tokubei - artist's family name appearing in the bottom of the cartouche in the left margin (partially trimmed on this print)
Full cartouche reads 画工 大鋸町四番地 安藤徳兵エ [gakō Ōga machi yon banchi Andō Tokubei]
 Seal none
 Publication Date 1877 (Meiji 10) 
 Publisher
 Ōkura Magobei 大倉孫兵衛 (Kin'eido; 1843-1921) [Marks: pub. ref. 627]
appearing in right margin (almost completely trimmed from this print)
Full cartouche reads 出版人 日本橋通一丁目十九番地   大倉孫兵衛 (Publisher, Nihobashi-dōri Itchōme 19-banchi, Ōkura Magobei)
 Impression good
 Colors excellent
 Condition good - centerfold reinforced by tape on verso; paper loss bottom left and right margins
 Genre nishiki-e; kaika-e
 Miscellaneous  
 Format chuban
 H x W Paper 
 6 3/4 x 9 1/4 in. (17.1 x 23.5 cm)
 H x W Image
 6 3/8 x 9 in.  (16.2 x 22.9 cm)
 Literature 

 Collections This Print
 Waseda University Library Archives 01_04265_0001