First states of Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces

Woodblock print series Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces (Rokujuyoshu meisho zue 六十余州名所図会) by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858) was published in 1853–56.

This page displays the earliest known prints from the series. The displayed prints are probably first states (first editions; shozuri), however, 170 years later, it's impossible to identify canonical first states with absolute certainty. Identifying the earliest known prints is based carving errors that were later corrected; paper weight; prints with tight registration and unworn blocks; prints with greater number of impressions, including overprinting; prints with the most carefully executed bokashi (colour gradation); and prints with expensive pigments, kirazuri (mica), nunomezuri (fabric printing) or karazuri (blind printing).

General remarks:

• First states are unusually rare. No known collection holds exclusively first states.
• In style and technique this series appears to be the forerunner and prototype for Hundred Views of Edo.

October 2018; revised 2025