51 - Hiroshige II: Kinryuzan Temple in Asakusa

Hiroshige II: Kinryuzan Temple in Asakusa

Utagawa Hiroshige II (1826-1868), originally Shinpei Suzuki, was a student of Hiroshige I, the "great" Hiroshige. He married the latter's daughter and when Hiroshige I died, Shinpei Suzuki took his teacher's name. He continued to work in the classical Hiroshige style, and his works are confusingly similar to those of Hiroshige I.

The print above is from the middle of the 19th century: Kinryuzan Temple in Asakusa, from the series Famous Places in the Eastern Capital.

This is an aizuri-e, a print primarily in blue.

12 - Hiroshige II: Iwatake gathering at Kumano in Kishu

Hiroshige II: Iwatake gathering at Kumano in Kishu - approx. 1860

Iwatake is a delicacy in Japan. Its name in Latin is Umbilicaria esculenta. In East Asia it is used as food, and in Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM, as a medicine. Called iwatake in Japan, it is called shi'er in China, and seogi in Korea. Iwatake means "rock mushroom".

To harvest it, collectors are lowered down a cliff, preferably in wet weather. This is very dangerous. There is a saying in Japan: "Never give lodging to an iwatake collector, he doesn't always survive to pay the rent." Otherwise the iwatake has a reputation of providing longevity.

This woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige II (1826-1868), a student of the great Hiroshige, shows iwatake collectors in action. Its title is "Kishū kumano iwatake tori (Iwatake gathering at Kumano in Kishu)", and it dates around 1860.