Hiroshige (1797-1858) was born Andō Tokutarō into a minor samurai family in Edo. His father was part of the firefighting force assigned to Edo Castle and died when Hiroshige was only 13 (a year after he lost his mother). He had to train as a fire fighter and take over his father’s duties at the castle, and it may have been while in the castle that he was first exposed to great art. As a teenager, he began training in painting and print design with the Utagawa School, and was given the artist name Hiroshige, taking “hiro” from his teacher Utagawa Tokuhiro, and the school's name Utagawa. Hiroshige soon gave up his firefighting duties and went on to be one of the great painters and print designers of the 19th century, specializing in images of landscapes, particularly views along the Tōkaidō and famous places in Edo.
