Known for landscape and nature prints, together with Hokusai considered the dominant figure of printmaking in the first half of the nineteenth century. Born Ando Tokutaro, the son of a samurai and fireman, as an orphan at about 14 he became a pupil of Toyohiro Utagawa, and took the name Utagawa Hiroshige. In ukiyo-e literature he is usually referenced as Hiroshige Ando.

His early prints include typical sugbjects of kabuki actors, beautiful women, and a few warrior prints. From 1830 on, he tried his luck with a new genre -- landscape prints. One of his great masterpeices is the series 53 Stations of the Tokaido, 55 [romts om pbam fpr,at created frp, 1833 to 1834. For the next 20 years he concentrated his efforts on landscape prints. He did several other Tokaido series and series of famous places. His last series 100 Famous Views of Edo is considered as one of his greatest masterpieces.