Image Upright: | 1 |
The Plum Garden in Kameido | |
Artist: | Hiroshige |
Year: | 1856–58 |
Type: | ukiyo-e |
Metric Unit: | cm |
Imperial Unit: | in |
One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (in Japanese: 名所江戸百景|Meisho Edo Hyakkei) is a series of 119 ukiyo-e prints begun and largely completed by the Japanese artist Hiroshige (1797–1858). The prints were first published in serialized form in 1856–59, with Hiroshige II completing the series after Hiroshige's death. It was tremendously popular and much reprinted.
Hiroshige produced designs in the style of the Utagawa school, a 19th-century popular style in woodblock prints, much favoured during his lifetime. Increasingly large series of prints were produced. This trend can be seen in Hiroshige’s work, such as The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō and The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaidō.
Many publishing houses arose and grew, publishing both books and individual prints. A publisher's ownership of the physical woodblocks used to print a given text or image constituted the closest equivalent to a concept of "copyright" that existed at this time.
Woodblock prints such as these were produced in large numbers in 18th- and 19th-century Japan, created by artists, block cutters and printers working independently to the instructions of specialist publishers. Prints such as these were called ukiyo-e, which means 'pictures of the floating world'. This world was one of transient delights and changing fashions centred on the licensed pleasure districts and popular theatres found in the major cities of Japan.
In the years 1829–36, a seven volume illustrated guidebook Pictures of famous places of Edo (Japanese: 江戸名所図会, Edo meishō zue) was published. It was begun by Saitō Yukio (1737–1799) in 1790 and illustrated very accurately by Hasegawa Settan (1778–1848). The pictures and text describe the important temples and shrines, but also the famous stores, restaurants, tea-houses etc. of Edo as well as the Sumida river and its channels and surrounding landscape.
Hiroshige, in several cases, makes use of this guide for his series of colour prints (see below and within the list). His series covered the place too which the guide didn’t describe, and he drew casual views of Edo.[1] [2] [3] His series is a work that inspired a number of Western artists, including Vincent van Gogh, to experiment with imitations of Japanese methods.[4] Elements of Hiroshige's work can be found in Western cinema and comics produced during the 20th-century, particularly The Adventures of Tintin, and they "profoundly influenced" the development of modernism.[5]
The series uses a vertical format which Hiroshige pioneered in his preceding series, Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces, and was a departure from the horizontal format used in his previous major print series.
No. | Title | Depicted | Remarks | Date | Location < | --Object location--> | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
data-sort-value="0" | Table of Contents | Abbreviated titles of prints arranged by season: two boxes at top are spring, fan-shaped box is summer, bottom right box autumn and bottom left are winter prints | |||||
1 | Nihonbashi, Edo Castle, Mount Fuji | 35.684°N 139.7744°W | |||||
2 | Street (today Kasumigaseki-zaka), guardhouse of residence of Asano, barracks of samurai of the Kuroda clan, Edo Bay | Kadomatsu gate pines and manzai dancers indicate a setting around New Year; kite with Japanese character for fish (Jap. "sakana") is a reference to the publisher of the series, Sakanaya Eikichi | 35.6757°N 139.749°W | ||||
3 | Residence of daimyō Nabeshima Kansō from the Saga Domain, outer moat of Edo Castle, Mount Fuji | Kadomatsu pine, hagoita and kites indicate a setting around New year | 35.6722°N 139.761°W | ||||
4 | Eitai Bridge, Sumida River, fishing boats of Tsukudajima | An almost identical composition titled Eitaibashi by Hiroshige exists in the second volume of his "Illustrated Souvenirs of Edo" | 35.6776°N 139.7874°W | ||||
5 | Drum tower of Ekō-in, Honjo neighbourhood, Sumida River, residence of Matsudaira feudal lor of Tanba, Mount Fuji | Drum tower was associated with sumo tournaments held at Ekō-in; for marketing purposes the print appeared two months after a popular major exhibition of temple treasures at Ekō-in | 35.6933°N 139.7919°W | ||||
6 | Hatsune Riding Ground and district's fire watch tower | Dyers of Konya-chō district using riding grounds to dry their cloths | 35.6946°N 139.7831°W | ||||
7 | Street scene with geishas, cotton shops in Ōdenma-chō | 35.6885°N 139.7764°W | |||||
8 | Mitsui (yagō: Echigoya) textile stores, Mount Fuji | Echigoya later became the Mitsukoshi department store chain whose modern day headquarters are located on the left side of the street in the print | 35.6863°N 139.7739°W | ||||
9 | Yatsukōji junction, Kanda River, Kanda Shrine | One of the few open spaces in Edo, created as fire-breaks | 35.6974°N 139.7692°W | ||||
10 | Kanda Shrine | Probably produced as a souvenir of the shrine festival in memory of the Battle of Sekigahara celebrated on the 15th day of the 9th month | 35.7019°N 139.7679°W | ||||
11 | Kiyomizu Hall of Kan'ei-ji, Moon Pine, Shinobazu Pond | Depicted pines are in reality much smaller | 35.7126°N 139.7736°W | ||||
12 | Iseya restaurant, temples | Published in the month after Hiroshige's death; composition probably based on his sketches but probably completed by Hiroshige II | 35.7106°N 139.7735°W | ||||
13 | Hirokōji ("Broadway"), premises of textile retailer Matsuzakaya | Published in the same month in which the depicted Matsuzakaya store re-opened after the 1855 earthquake | 35.7071°N 139.7727°W | ||||
14 | Temple Gardens | Depicts cherries and azaleas in bloom while in reality they bloom at different times of the year | 35.7311°N 139.766°W | ||||
15 | Suwa Myōjin Shrine grounds, Mount Tsukuba | 35.7309°N 139.7671°W | |||||
16 | Cherry orchard, Pavilion of the Violet Spring (Shisentei) | The print is a reference to the reconstruction of the Shisentai after the 1855 earthquake and to Tokugawa Iesada's visit to the park two months prior to publication | 35.7251°N 139.7612°W | ||||
17 | Asukayama Park, Mount Tsukuba | Possibly inspired by Tokugawa Iesada's visit to the park two months prior to publication | 35.7514°N 139.7383°W | ||||
18 | Ōji Inari Shrine, Mount Tsukuba | 35.7561°N 139.7333°W | |||||
19 | Otonashi River, Amida Hall of Kinrin-ji temple, Takata-chō | Likely created to mark Tokugawa Iesada's visit to Kinrin-ji (Ōji Shrine) and Takata on the 21st day of the first month (also see no. 115, 116) | 35.7522°N 139.7358°W | ||||
20 | Arakawa River, Zenkō-ji temple | A year after Hiroshige designed the print, the Buddha in the Amida Hall at the top was due to be exhibited publicly for the first time in 13 years; in a pun Hiroshige covered the hall of this "secret Buddha" with the title cartouche | 35.7939°N 139.7213°W | ||||
21 | Atago Shrine, Edo Bay | Scene depicts an emissary from Enpuku-ji temple who on every third day of the year performs a ceremony at Atago Shrine for good fortune, health and success and to avert hunger and disease; the large rice paddle in his hand symbolizes abundance, the seaweed around his neck was distributed after the ceremony among the faithful who used it to brew an infusion against colds | 35.6648°N 139.7484°W | ||||
22 | Furukawa River, "Fox" (kitsune) restaurant | 35.6471°N 139.7316°W | |||||
23 | Chiyogaike Pond | Feature a — for the time — unusual depiction of reflections of the trees in the water | 35.6375°N 139.7128°W | ||||
24 | Mita Aqueduct, Mount Fuji replica, Mount Fuji | Subject is a replica (one of many) of Mount Fuji erected in 1829 by Fuji worshippers | 35.6435°N 139.7049°W | ||||
25 | Mount Fuji replica, Mount Fuji | Fuji replica erected in 1812 was at 12m (39feet) the tallest in Edo; this print was incorrectly placed in the spring section of the table of contents since the depicted cherry trees are in autumn foliage; spelling of "Fuji" in the title as is thought to be a pun on the doubling of the mountain | 35.6467°N 139.701°W | ||||
26 | Tōkaidō, Edo Bay | Depicts a popular viewpoint of Edo Bay; according to legend, Minamoto no Yoshiie hung his armour on this tree in 1062; Hiroshige adapts the shape of the tree so that only a giant could have hung his armour on it | 35.5885°N 139.7269°W | ||||
27 | Plum Orchard in Kamada | 35.5647°N 139.7269°W | |||||
28 | Palace Hill | Depicts both a famous cherry blossom spot and the destruction of the landscape after removal of earth; the earth was used to build ramparts (daiba) in the sea following Commodore Perry's arrival in Edo Bay in 1853 | 35.621°N 139.7395°W | ||||
29 | Torii of Moto-Hachiman Shrine, Edo Bay | 35.6693°N 139.8377°W | |||||
30 | Plum Park in Kameido | Both in color and theme this print is related to print no. 27 (Plum Orchard in Kamada); copied by Vincent van Gogh under the title Japonaiserie: Flowering Plum Tree | 35.7045°N 139.8239°W | ||||
31 | Azuma Shrine | 35.7055°N 139.8268°W | |||||
32 | Myōken Hall of Hōshō-ji temple, Hashimotoya restaurant ("At the Foot of the Bridge"), Mount Tsukuba | 35.7076°N 139.8183°W | |||||
33 | Yotsugi-dōri Canal towpath | Unlike in the print, the canal and towpath were absolutely straight | 35.7355°N 139.8344°W | ||||
34 | Sumida River, San'ya Canal inlet, Yumeiro and Takeya restaurants, Matsuchiyama hill, Shōten Shrine | Only image in the series to depict a large human figure, purportedly the favourite geisha of Hiroshige; Shōten Shrine on the top of the hill has sexual connotations | 35.7159°N 139.8065°W | ||||
35 | Cherry tree trunk, Suijin Shrine, Sumida River, Massaki district, Mount Tsukuba | People at the bottom of the print are on the way to the Hashiba ferry (see no. 37) | 35.7328°N 139.8127°W | ||||
36 | Sumida River, Suijin Shrine, Massaki district, Mount Tsukuba | Similar subject and location as no. 35 | 35.7297°N 139.8084°W | ||||
37 | Kilns, Sumida River, Suijin Shrine, Mount Tsukuba | Similar area as no. 35, 36 | 35.7281°N 139.8097°W | ||||
38 | Yoshiwara | Published two months prior to the reopening of Yoshiwara after it burnt down in the 1855 earthquake; Hiroshige may have submitted this design and title following the suicide of two courtesans and their two lovers at dawn of the 19th day of the 4th month of 1857 | 35.7242°N 139.7961°W | ||||
39 | Sumida River, Azuma Bridge, Kinryūzan Temple, Mount Fuji | 35.7144°N 139.8042°W | |||||
40 | Sekiguchi Aqueduct, Bashō's Hermitage | 35.7123°N 139.7235°W | |||||
41 | Ichigaya moat, shopping street, Hachiman Shrine | Dated one month after Hiroshige's death and therefore attributed to Hiroshige II by some art historians | 35.6927°N 139.7338°W | ||||
42 | Actually, the Tama River-Jōsui channel is depicted, with cherry trees far outside Edo | One of the first five prints sanctioned by the censors | 35.6893°N 139.7022°W | ||||
43 | Nihonbashi, Nihonbashi River, Edobashi | Fish barrel with first bonito of the season represents early summer | 35.6842°N 139.7747°W | ||||
44 | Nihonbashi itchōme Street | Shirokiya shop on the right developed into one of the city's largest department stores and finally became part of the Tokyu Group | |||||
45 (62) | Yatsumi Bridge, Edo Castle, Mount Fuji | ||||||
46 (45) | Nihonbashi River, Yoroi ferry | ||||||
47 (46) | Shōhei Bridge, Shōheizaka hill, Kanda River, wall of Yushima Seidō | Exaggerated size of hill on left | 35.6983°N 139.7689°W | ||||
48 (63) | View from Surugadai, Kanda River, Suidō Bridge, Edo Castle, Mount Fuji | Koinobori carp streamers place the scene around the Boy's festival on the 5th day of the 5th month, the same month as the print was approved by the censors | 35.7021°N 139.7553°W | ||||
49 (47) | Fudō Falls | 35.7517°N 139.7335°W | |||||
50 (64) | Kumano Jūnisha Shrine | 35.6904°N 139.6882°W | |||||
51 (65) | Moat and Hanzōmon Gate of Edo Castle | Sannō Festival was held one month prior to the approval of the print | 35.6814°N 139.7449°W | ||||
52 (48) | Paulownia Garden, Tameike Pond, Hie Shrine, residence of daimyō Kuroda from Fukuoka | Hie Shrine is location for the Sannō Festival (see no. 51) | 35.6742°N 139.7379°W | ||||
53 (49) | Zōjō-ji, Akabane Bridge, residence of daimyō Arima from Kurume | 35.6546°N 139.7475°W | |||||
54 (66) | South-west embankment and moat of Edo Castle, residence of daimyō Ii from the Hikone Domain, Kōjimachi watchtower | Kōjimachi watchtower had been restored two months prior to publication after burning down in the 1855 earthquake | 35.6773°N 139.7506°W | ||||
55 (50) | Tsukudajima Island | The Sumiyoshi Festival is held on the 29th of the sixth month, i.e., in the month prior to publication of this print; writer of the inscription is identified on the banner as the creator of the table of contents of this series, Seikengū Gengyo | 35.668°N 139.7833°W | ||||
56 (51) | Mannen Bridge, Mount Fuji | A turtle hanging from tub's handle use for Life release. | 35.6835°N 139.7941°W | ||||
57 (67) | Sumida River, Mount Fuji | Reed-covered sandbank alludes to the artificial Nakazu island, location of a famous 18th-century pleasure district that was demolished in the course of the Kansei Reforms | 35.682°N 139.7908°W | ||||
58 (52) | Shin-Ōhashi bridge, Sumida River, Atake district | Considered to be a masterpiece and possibly Hiroshige's most famous work; copied by Vincent van Gogh | 35.6853°N 139.7931°W | ||||
59 (53) | Sumida River, Ryōgoku Bridge | At the time Japan's largest bridge | 35.6931°N 139.7877°W | ||||
60 (68) | Sumida River, Mount Tsukuba | Depicts pilgrimage to Mount Ōyama, the pilgrim's return from the mountain is shown in no. 76; names in title are synonymous names for the depicted section of the Sumida River; in later prints, the title was simplified to: In Boats at Ryōgoku with a distant View of Asakusa | 35.694°N 139.7879°W | ||||
61 (54) | Sumida River, Oumayagashi ferry | Hiroshige's "Illustrated Souvenirs of Edo" contains a mirror image of this view with a woman standing upright in the boat | 35.7006°N 139.7922°W | ||||
62 (55) | Komakata Hall, Sumida River, Azuma Bridge, Asakusa district | Lesser cuckoo (hototogisu) and Komakata Hall in the print allude to a 17th-century love poem attributed to Takao II, courtesan and lover of Date Tsunamune: Are you now, my love, near Komakata? Cry of the cuckoo!"[8] | 35.709°N 139.7968°W | ||||
63 (69) | Sumida River, Ayase River | Northernmost point of the Sumida river depicted in this series | 35.7397°N 139.8153°W | ||||
64 (56) | Horikiri Iris Garden | Influenced European Art Nouveau | |||||
65 (57) | Drum bridge and garden at Kameido Tenjin Shrine | Flowering wisteria indicates summer season | 35.7022°N 139.821°W | ||||
66 (70) | Sazaidō Hall | 35.6896°N 139.8267°W | |||||
67 (58) | Nakagawa River | 35.6951°N 139.8476°W | |||||
68 (59) | Garden at Hachiman Shrine | Print shows both azaleas and cherry trees in blossom which is unnatural for Edo; hill in the back is one of many miniature Mount Fuji that were scattered all over Edo | 35.6731°N 139.7975°W | ||||
69 (71) | Sanjusangendō, Kiba lumberyards (see no. 106) | About half of the hall is depicted | 35.6716°N 139.8015°W | ||||
70 (60) | Onagigawa Canal, Nakagawa River, Shinkawa Canal | Nakagawa River is the broad waterway in the middle running left-right[9] | 35.6864°N 139.8467°W | ||||
71 (61) | Tone River | 35.6778°N 139.8864°W | |||||
72 | Tama River, Benten Shrine, Edo Bay | The ground of the Benten Shrine is now occupied by Haneda Airport | 35.5433°N 139.7431°W | ||||
73 | Edo Castle, Mount Fuji | Arguably shows the view from Hiroshige's house; only print in series without a place name in the title | 35.6781°N 139.7725°W | ||||
74 | Daimaru silk merchant shops | People depicted are carpenters | 35.6906°N 139.7803°W | ||||
75 | Kanda dye works, Edo Castle, Mount Fuji | Kanji on first two white-blue fabrics reads "sakana" and is a reference to the publisher Sakanaya Eikichi, last two white-blue fabrics contain Hiroshige's monogram | 35.6917°N 139.7744°W | ||||
76 | Kyōbashi River, Kyōbashi Bridge | 35.6751°N 139.769°W | |||||
77 | Hatchōbori Canal, Minato Shrine, Inari Bridge, Mount Fuji | 35.6738°N 139.7801°W | |||||
78 | Sumida River, Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple | Like no. 79, this print has the changed series title: Entertaining Supplements to the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, as likely Hiroshige wanted to end this series having produced 110 plates already at the time; he resumed the original title on the publisher insisting to do so | 35.6667°N 139.7807°W | ||||
79 | Shiba Shinmei Shrine, Zōjōji | 35.6569°N 139.7542°W | |||||
80 | Kanasugi Bridge | Print shows pilgrims of the Nichiren sect; brown and white cloths at bottom left contain abbreviation "Uoei" of the publisher's name Sakanaya Eikichi | 35.6531°N 139.7541°W | ||||
81 | Tōkaidō, Edo Bay with daiba | Place name Takanawa meaning "high wheel" is symbolized by the wheel on the right and the rainbow | 35.6383°N 139.7397°W | ||||
82 | Edo Bay | Approximately same view as no. 83 | 35.6219°N 139.7404°W | ||||
83 | Meguro River, Benten Shrine, Edo Bay with daiba | Establishment depicted in no. 82 might be the one cropped in the bottom left of this print | 35.6213°N 139.7423°W | ||||
84 | Teahouse and teastall, Mount Fuji | 35.6402°N 139.7091°W | |||||
85 | outer Benkeibori moat of Edo Castle | People depicted are samurai | 35.6796°N 139.7325°W | ||||
86 | Naitō Shinjuku (first station of the Kōshū Kaidō) | Depiction of horse dung was criticized for being vulgar; Hiroshige likely alludes to the quote: "flowers thriving on the horse dung of Yotsuya" from the 1775 book Master Flashgold's Splendiferous Dream referring to the prostitutes of Shinjuku | 35.6898°N 139.7071°W | ||||
87 | Benten Shrine, Inokashira Pond | Depicts most western point of the series and location furthest away from central Edo | 35.6995°N 139.5748°W | ||||
88 | Takinogawa, Matsubashi Benten Shrine, Kongo-ji Temple | Original orange color of autumn color has turned brownish-black due to oxidation over time | 35.752°N 139.7299°W | ||||
89 | Moon Pine, Shinobazu Pond, Benten Shrine | 35.7125°N 139.7731°W | |||||
90 | Saruwaka-chō street with theatres | Notable for the use of peoples' shadows giving the impression of puppets on a stage; the street was home to the Kabuki and marionette theatres | 35.7175°N 139.8009°W | ||||
91 | Garden of Akiba Shrine | People depicted in the bottom left might be Hiroshige as a monk with painting utensils,[10] his wife Yasu and their adopted daughter Tatsu according to Henry D. Smith | 35.7169°N 139.8129°W | ||||
92 | Uchigawa inlet of Sumida River, Uekiya Han'emon restaurant | The Mokuboji temple mentioned in the title is close but not depicted in this print; Tokugawa Iesada had visited the restaurant one month before publication of the print | 35.7339°N 139.8143°W | ||||
93 | Nakagawa River | Northeasternmost scene of the series confirmed by detailed depiction of the Edo side of the river and vagueness on the opposite bank | 35.7632°N 139.8543°W | ||||
94 | Edogawa River, Tekona Shrine, Tsugihashi Bridge | Original orange color of autumn color has turned brownish-black due to oxidation over time | 35.7383°N 139.9092°W | ||||
95 | Tone River (today Edogawa), Mount Fuji | 35.7478°N 139.8975°W | |||||
96 | branch of the Edogawa River, Horie and Nekozane villages, Edo Bay, Mount Fuji | One of the first five prints sanctioned by the censors | 35.6592°N 139.8969°W | ||||
97 | Onagi Canal | Tree depicted is the only surviving of five pines and was at the time of Hiroshige known as "Five Pines"; Onagi Canal was in fact straight | 35.6851°N 139.8181°W | ||||
98 | Sumida River, Ryōgoku Bridge | 35.6936°N 139.7888°W | |||||
99 | Kaminarimon, Hōzōmon and pagoda of Sensō-ji | Thought to commemorate the restoration of the pagoda two month prior to the publication of the print after damage suffered in the 1855 earthquake | 35.7111°N 139.7964°W | ||||
100 | Nihon Embankment, Yoshiwara | 35.7246°N 139.7973°W | |||||
101 | Yoshiwara teahouse, Chōkoku-ji temple (Ōtori Shrine), Mount Fuji | White cat represents courtesan who just finished her work; the festival of the rooster is hinted at by bear's paw hairpins resembling the good luck rakes carried by pilgrims in the background | 35.7225°N 139.7919°W | ||||
102 | Minowa, Kanasugi and Mikawashima villages | 35.7319°N 139.7794°W | |||||
103 | Arakawa River, Senju Great Bridge | One of the first five prints sanctioned by the censors | 35.7394°N 139.7975°W | ||||
104 | Yotsugi dōri Canal (see no. 33) | 35.7106°N 139.8083°W | |||||
105 | Sumida River | The two women are yotaka (night hawks), the lowest class of prostitutes whose faces were often disfigured forcing them to apply very thick make-up | 35.7037°N 139.7938°W | ||||
106 | Fukagawa Lumberyards | Character for "sakana" on the umbrella refers to Sakanaya Eikichi, the publisher of the series | 35.6764°N 139.8083°W | ||||
107 | Mount Tsukuba | 35.6661°N 139.809°W | |||||
108 | Hamarikyu Gardens, daiba, Edo Bay | One of the first five prints sanctioned by the censors | 35.6589°N 139.7686°W | ||||
109 | Edo Bay, Kaian-ji temple, Mount Tsukuba | Fishermen gather seaweed from submerged tree trunks | 35.6064°N 139.7453°W | ||||
110 | Senzoku no ike, "Robe-Hanging Pine", Hachiman Shrine | One of the first five prints sanctioned by the censors; Nichiren is said to have hung his monk's robe on this pine while resting | 35.6013°N 139.6917°W | ||||
111 | Drum Bridge, Meguro River | Publication date of this and three other prints (no. 24, 25, 84) depicting Meguro coincides with the exhibition of a Fudō Myōō icon | 35.6323°N 139.7122°W | ||||
112 | Yabu Lane, residences of the daimyōs Katō from Minakuchi and Hijikata from Komono, gate of Atago Shrine | Yabu Lane is to the far right beyond the bamboo thicket lining it | 35.6681°N 139.7507°W | ||||
113 | Aoi Slope, moat | 35.6696°N 139.7477°W | |||||
114 | Bikuni Bridge, outer moat of Edo Castle | Believed to be created by Hiroshige II based on empty foreground, depiction of wall and schematic arrangement of snowflakes. Sign on left advertises "mountain whale" meat, referring to wild boar. | 35.6759°N 139.7664°W | ||||
115 | Takata Riding Grounds | 35.71°N 139.715°W | |||||
116 | Kanda River, Omokage Bridge, Hikawa rice field, Hikawa Shrine, Sugatami Bridge | Notable for striking colors; Tokugawa Iesada crossed the Omokage Bridge in the publication month | 35.7133°N 139.7143°W | ||||
117 | Yushima Tenjin Shrine, Shinobazu Pond, Kan'ei-ji | 35.7075°N 139.7684°W | |||||
118 | Enoki tree | 35.7564°N 139.7379°W | |||||
119 | Tameike Pond | Work by Hiroshige II; not always included in collections of One Hundred Famous Views of Edo; variously thought to be replacement print for no. 52, The Paulownia Garden at Akasaka, although its woodblock prints show significant wear indicating age. Alternatively a work on commission by Sakanaya Eikichi, celebrating Hiroshige II's adoption of his name and Hiroshige's seal | 35.6776°N 139.7363°W |