Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e

Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e is a rare antique Japanese woodblock print art series.

The title of the Ukiyo-e print series Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e, when translated into English, reads as The Flowers of Edo: A Collection of Famous Places. The Flowers of Edo was a phrase used to describe the finest features of everyday life, as experienced in the various districts of Japan’s Tokugawa capital during the mid-nineteenth century. Included within the scope of the expression were select examples of incredible outdoor beauty, inspirational models of ancient cultural accomplishment and brilliant cases of contemporary creative excellence. The Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e works display images of famous Kabuki actors, illustrations of natural landscapes and important visions of celebrated Japanese myths and legends. The prints also present classical songs and poetry, advertisements for popular commercial products of the day and historical accounts that are associated with each of the locations being examined.

Twenty-one notable artists of the Ukiyo-e era, led by Utagawa Kunisada [Utagawa Toyokuni III], designed the full complement of prints for the Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e series. It is Utagawa Kunisada's enduring commitment to the work, indicated by his Kabuki actor designs featuring on every sheet in the set, as well as the huge number of contributing illustrators, that distinguishes the project as one of the most significant artist collaborations completed within Japan’s greater art history.

The first prints of the Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e series were released by the publisher Katoya Seibei in the twelfth month of 1862, while the last sheets of the set were produced in the first month of 1865. In the two years and two months in which the works were designed and manufactured, seventy prints in total had been created, followed by an index and title page. It should be noted that the index and title pieces are not universally accepted as part of the Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e series. Hesitation to acknowledge the extra pages is based on the reality that both were made after the picture set had ceased production, at a time when it was popular for the collected single sheet works to be assembled in string-bound albums. Additionally, Utagawa Kunisada did not contribute to the creation of the two supplementary items and inconsequentially the index page lists the works of the series in an ancient Japanese alphabetical arrangement, rather than in an order determined by date of production.

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