Posted by John Fiorillo on January 04, 2002 at 09:46:18:
In Reply to: Id of Kanano Tihiro (Kanto Tihiro) Maiji Publisher of 100 Views of Mt. Fuji posted by Len Gottesman on January 03, 2002 at 02:22:36:
Len,
A brief summary of the publication of the 100 Views is provided by Henry Smith in his Hokusai: 100 Views of Mount Fuji (New York: Brazillier, 1988, pp. 21-22). He states that the Nagoya publisher Tôhekidô [that is, Eirakuya Tôshirô], who in the late 1840s reissued vols. I-II and the first edition of vol. III, introduced a different edition from the original key blocks in the 1850s, but with recut color blocks (for the shades of gray and a new salmon-pink, with different patterns than in the original). Next, in the 1860s or early 1870s, he reissued the set again, but once more with the original color blocks (for the shades of gray). Then he published editions in December 1875 and January 1876. The blocks were subsequently acquired by the Tokyo publisher Yoshikawa Hanshichi and published yet again (the date is unknown to Smith). The original blocks survived until at least the Second World War, as an edition by Unsôdô is known from 1943, using the badly worn original blocks. (Unsôdô also issued recut facsimile editions in 1964-65.) Smith was unable to verify whether the original blocks still exist today.
John