From the 17th century and well into the 19th, Japanese ukiyo-e art – pictures of the world in motion – focused on depictions of landscapes, performers and sumo wrestlers, as well as scenes from folklore and history, in brightly colored woodcuts.

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), one of the most recognized artists in this tradition – and one of the last – was renowned for his works depicting instantly recognizable elements such as cherry blossoms or the ubiquitous snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji. His latest venture, an ambitious series of woodcuts, became known as “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” and depicts the city that is now Tokyo in all seasons. This series of woodcuts is re-presented in an impressive edition by Taschen Books.

In the new edition, each of the artist’s works is accompanied by text by authors Lorenz Bichler and Melanie Trede, honoring the landscape, the history of the city, and Hiroshige’s contribution to ukiyo-e art. The authors highlight how colorful depictions of the country influenced the Western world’s visual interpretation of Japan, citing the influence of ‘japonisme’ on European decorative arts and painters such as Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas and James McNeill Whistler.

The new edition is cased and bound in the traditional Japanese style known as stab binding (a series of holes are punched in the cover) while the spine of the book is sewn with twine.