HIROSHIGE Chikugo Province

Chicugo, Yanase
Signed: Hiroshige ga
Series: Views of the 60 Odd Provinces
Publisher: Koshihei
c 1855

Very good impression and colors. Slight vertical centerfold.

A weir is a manmade barrier along a river; here it runs down the center of the Chikugo River, Kyushu’s largest river.  Most likely this weir was used to aid in catching the avu, a tasty fish that swims upstream to spawn.  The right channel was used for navigation while the platform over the left channel was used to store hoop nets used to catch ayu.

The earlier editions, like this, have a yellow sky (later editions are orange or red)