Minowa, Kanasugi, Mikawashima (Cranes) — Hiroshige Framed Print

The story of this print

The marshes at Mikawashima, north of Edo, were where the shogun’s falconers kept cranes for the winter hunt, which is why the birds were there to be drawn. Hiroshige’s sheet for One Hundred Famous Views of Edo puts one crane in the flooded field, wading, and cuts the other in half with the top edge of the print as it flies across — a device from the series’ late sheets, where he brought the foreground right up to the viewer’s face. The winter sun is a red disc on the horizon; a bare tree and a few farmhouses stand in the grey fields.

Cranes are the gift print of Japanese art, and this is the one to give when the Hokusai marsh is too blue. The Library of Congress impression is early and cleanly printed; restored from the archive’s scan without redrawing, at the vertical oban’s own proportions.

Printed to order on archival matte paper or canvas, framed in the country of delivery.

Before and after

Left: the archive scan exactly as published. Right: the file that goes to the printer.

Minowa Kanasugi Mikawashima Cranes, 1857: archive scan compared with the restored print

Archive scanRestored

Restoration notes

Restoration: trimmed the mount and scanner margins, balanced levels while keeping the paper tone and the flat colour blocks of the woodblock impression (85% of the original colour retained), removed dust and specks, applied gentle sharpening. Toning, wormholes, the printer's registration and the collector's seals are kept where they belong to the object; nothing is redrawn.

Every print carries its archive credit on the packing slip. Paper tone and small imperfections of the original are kept on purpose; nothing is redrawn.

Questions

What does the print show?

Two cranes in the flooded rice fields at Mikawashima, north of Edo: one stands in the water, the other flies across the top of the sheet with its wings spread, and behind them a bare tree, farmhouses, a red winter sun and hills on the horizon.

Is this an original woodblock print?

No. It is a new archival print made from the Library of Congress's high-resolution scan of an original Edo-period impression in its Japanese prints collection. Original impressions of these designs sell at auction for thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars; we never sell originals, and the archive record with its rights statement is on this page.

Can this print be sold legally?

Yes. The artist died in the nineteenth century and the impression was published long before 1930, so the design is in the public domain in the United States, Japan and Europe. The Library of Congress states there are no known restrictions on publication.

Does it come framed?

Yes, if you choose a framed option: a black, white or natural oak wood frame, ready to hang, made in the country of delivery. Unframed archival matte paper and stretched canvas are also available. Sizes follow the print's own proportions — 12×18, 16×24, 20×30 and 24×36 for a standard oban sheet.

Colours vary between screens and paper. The tone you see here is a close match to the archival matte print; framed prints have no glass glare in these previews.

Pairs well with

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print

Umezawa in Sagami Province Cranes, 1832

Katsushika Hokusai · Library of Congress

$129 24×18 in framed · paper from $35

Cranes and Waves, 1833

Utagawa Hiroshige · Library of Congress

$129 12×24 in framed · paper from $49

The discount is applied automatically at checkout when two or more framed prints are in the cart.

Size	Metric	Best for
12×18 in	30×46 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
16×24 in	41×61 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
20×30 in	51×76 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
24×36 in	61×91 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office

Minowa, Kanasugi, Mikawashima, 1857

Before and after

Restoration notes

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print