Utagawa Hiroshige (Japan, 1797-1858) Print, oban tate-e, from the series Meisho Edo hyakkei (名所江戸百景), The hundred views of Edo, plate 30 : Kameido umeyashiki (亀戸梅屋舗), The plum tree garden, Kameido. Signed Hiroshige ga. Publisher Uoya Eikichi. Dated 11th month of the year of the snake, 1857. Traces of mica (restoration). Dim. 36,6 x 24,6 cm The Kameido plum garden was famous for its 'Sleeping Dragon' plum trees, a nickname derived from the lateral extension of cultivated plum trees that sent shoots into the ground to create new growth. The sight of the branches disappearing into the ground and emerging again reminded visitors of the elongated torso of a dragon hiding through clouds or water, giving rise to the strange nickname. In this skilfully conceived composition, Hiroshige offers the viewer a unique view of the garden, usually centred on the tea pavilions in the background. A few visitors are shown seated on benches or standing near the pavilions. In this unique, cinematic composition, Hiroshige places the viewer's gaze inside the garden, just in front of the trunk of a plum tree, revealing the visitors in the background. Van Gogh also produced a work inspired by this print, thirty years after Hiroshige's death, now in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Reference: A similar print in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, no. 21.10421