Moon Viewing Point (Tsuki no Misaki) — Hiroshige Framed Print

The story of this print

This is the print where Hiroshige leaves the people out. A balcony of a tea-house at Takanawa opens onto Edo Bay at night; a full moon hangs over the water and the sails and lanterns of boats; on the tatami are a lacquer tray with the remains of a meal, a cup, a fan. At the right edge is the hem of a woman’s kimono, at the left her shadow on the paper screen — the guests have just stepped out of the frame, and the room is the picture.

It is the most elegant sheet in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo and one that Western designers have returned to for a century and a half, from Whistler to modern illustrators, for its emptiness. The Library of Congress impression is early, the blue of the night sky graded by hand. 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.

Moon Viewing Point, 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?

The open balcony of a tea-house at Takanawa on the shore of Edo Bay, late at night: a full moon over the water with boats and their lanterns, a tray of food and a fan left on the tatami, and at the edges of the frame the hem of a kimono and a shadow on the screen — the guests have stepped out of the picture.

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

Night View of Saruwaka-machi, 1856

Utagawa Hiroshige · Library of Congress

$119 16×24 in framed · paper from $39

Nihonbashi Clearing After Snow, 1856

Utagawa Hiroshige · Library of Congress

$119 16×24 in framed · paper from $39

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

Moon Viewing Point, 1857

Before and after

Restoration notes

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print