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Good Morning Everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday. Recently, we were fortunate to acquire these Ando Hiroshige woodblocks. They are in bamboo frames and were labeled with an R. H. Macy store store stamp. I believe they are from after Hiroshige and would like to know any information on who the artist might be along with the age (maybe before 1950?). Also the calligraphy and seal information would be appreciated. Please excuse the rotation of the images as they are from my phone and I am at work. As always, thank you in advance for assistance! Stay safe and healthy.

John

Picture 1,
六十餘州名所圖繪　
隠岐　焚火の社
Rokuju Yoshu Meisho-zue
Oki Takuhi no Yashiro
Famous Places in Sixty Odd Provinces
Oki (Province) Takuhi Shrine

Picture 2,
六十餘州名所圖繪
信濃　更科日毎月　鏡台山
Rokuju Yoshu Meisho-zue
Shinano Sarashina Tagoto no Tsuki Kyōdaisan
Famous Places in Sixty Odd Provinces
Shinano (Province) The Moon Reflected in the Sarashina Paddy-fields Mount Kyōdai

Picture 3,
廣重筆　-　Hiroshige-hitsu - Painted by Hiroshige
Seal,
口華堂　-　口kadō　
This is the publisher's mark of the prints - unfortunately unfamiliar to me. I hope somebody,
a specialist on ukiyo-e prints will recognize it.

These prints originally were published in 1853

With regards,
I.Nagy

As always, I. Nagy, I appreciate your expertise (along with others) on this awesome forum! I hope everything finds you well. Please stay safe and stay healthy. Again, thank you so much!

John

If you can blow up the publisher's seal under the signature so that it is legible, I'll see if I can find it in my references. That might help date them. You are correct. They are not originals but later reprints from recarved blocks.

Cheers,
Stan

Thank you Stan! Give me just a bit of time and I'll be happy to.

John

Stan,

Hopefully this image of the seal will work. Thanks so much with any help you can give me.

John

Thank you, it is clear. It reads,
萬華堂　-　Mankadō
a.k.a Fujisawa Mankadō 藤澤萬華堂　publisher and printer, founded at the beginning of Meiji (still in business) as woodblock print publisher, published the Sixty Odd Provinces, too.

With regards,
I.Nagy

Wow! Thank you so much I. Nagy (and you too Stan) for this interesting information. I will have to conduct further research on this publisher. We are considering a trip to Japan in the future when the current situation we are in allows. It will be awesome to see some of the places that Hiroshige and other ukiyo-e artists created their amazing works. Thanks again. Have a great weekend and stay safe and healthy!

John

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