Posted by John Fiorillo on August 29, 1999 at 09:43:39:
In Reply to: Hiroshige, Shigenobu and Yoshida prints posted by Karen McMillan on August 29, 1999 at 00:52:52:
Karen,
There were various Tôkaidô series by Hiroshige with different Hakone designs. I don’t know which one you have. Perhaps the following might help, as I discuss copies of a Hakone design from the most famous Tôkaidô series on the following webpage:
In regard to Yoshida’s Tôshôgu Shrine (1937), look at the English signature and try to determine whether it is in pencil (lifetime) or stamped (posthumous). Also look at the upper third of the left margin, where you will find two characters above all the other inscriptions in the margin - these read ‘jizuri’ (self-printed). If the characters do not appear in the margin, you have a posthumous impression. You can find the seal reproduced at:
See also the relevant comments from May of this year:
John
[In response to Karen: "I have a Hiroshige wood block print which was given to a great uncle of mine in 1939. The card on the back states "Subject: HAKONE as the eleventh of the Fifty Three Stages of the Tokaido National Highway in early Nineteeth Century. I also have a Shigenobu print entitled "Tokyo Ueno(?) Park cherry Blossom" and a Hiroshi Yoshida print entitled "Togoshu Shrine" both of which were also given to my great uncle who lived in China and Japan in the early 1900's. How can I find out if these are originals and what their value might be?"]