Background
Without denying the debt owed to the Edo master, there has been some debate over whether to judge Sadanobu's efforts in this and related series as mere copying of Hiroshige or as a reworking of his imagery and style to reflect Sadanobu's intimate knowledge of the Kamigata region. The scholar Matsudaira Susumu believed that other influences included ehon meisho (illustrated books of famous places: 絵本名所) by such Kamigata artists as Shunchôsai whose designs often featured written commentaries and contemplative style was similar to many Sadanobu fûkeiga (landscape prints: 風景画).*
Design
The original wrapper for this series had a more complete title: Naniwa hyakkei meisho shashin kagami (A Mirror of 100 Famous Views of Osaka — Truthfully Copied: 浪花百景名所写真鏡); a wonderfully effective small-format snow scene in the manner of Utagawa Hiroshige, depicting a celebrated pine tree arching over the Kinu River where it branched off into the Shirinashi River (near the north end of Terajima); the series was never completed — approximately 63 designs known.
References: HSH, no. 181 (series)*
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