Commentary on Hiroshige print No. 79: Shinmei Shrine and Zojo-ji Temple at Shiba

Hiroshige depicts Zojo-ji Temple on the left and Shinmei Shrine on the right. The road in the foreground merges with the Tokaido Highway, but the actual intersection of the roads is just out of view.

A group of cheerful farmers from the countryside and a group of Buddhist priests are returning from a visit to the temple.

The three-tiered roofs of the temple seen on the left of the print are those of the Daimon (great outer gate), Sanmon (temple gate) and Hondo (main temple) of Hojo-ji.

Shinmei Shrine enshrined the same god as the Ise Grand Shrine, the most important shrine in Japan, and had a similarly styled structure to the Ise Shrine. The typical structure is 'chigi' meaning ornamental crossbeams on its gable. The shrine here was noted for its unusually long festival, lasting 11 days in comparison to the ordinary festival of 2 days.

Commentary on Hiroshige print No. 59: Ryogoku Bridge and Okawabata (large riverbank)

Before the big fire of Meireki in 1657, there was no bridge across the Sumida River at Ryogoku. Countless people who were driven to the bank of the river and could not escape the fire were killed there. In 1660, in order to save citizens lives in case of fire, the Tokugawa shogunate ordered the building of a bridge across the river and the provision of squares at both ends of the bridge to act as firebreaks. The bridge connected the two provinces of Musashi, west of the river, and Shimosa, east of the river, and was thus called Ryogoku Bridge, literally meaning 'two provinces bridge'.

Shown in this print is the third version of the bridge, constructed in 1839 and being 174 meters in length and 7 meters wide. Numerous people are seen crossing the bridge. The squares at both ends of the bridge were named Hirokoji, meaning 'broad alley' and were two of the most thriving quarters in Edo. Hiroshige here depicts the square on the west bank of the river which was full of people both day and night. Along the river bank stood stalls made of reeds with short curtains hanging from their eaves and which specialized in selling fresh water to passersby. In most cases, the owner of the stall retained beautiful maidservants in order to allure guests into the stall. In the morning, markets were opened in the square and fruit and vegetables were sold on straw mats laid on the ground. In the afternoon, the fruit and vegetables would be cleared away and in their place, various shabby booths made of rush mats were erected to accommodate various amusements such as kabuki plays, humorous story tellers, acrobats, archery and restaurants. When evening drew near, these booths were quickly removed and new stalls put in their place. The new stalls, which had benches inside and were lit by candles, served customers barley tea and a sweet alcoholic drink made from fermented rice.

Both banks of the river near the bridge were called Okawabata, literally meaning 'large riverbank', and the traffic on the river was most congested around the bridge. On the east bank of the river and upstream from the bridge stood warehouses belonging to the shogunate. They are seen on the opposite side of the river with bridges at the north end of the houses.

Commentary on Hiroshige print No. 59: Ryogoku Bridge and Okawabata (large riverbank)

Before the big fire of Meireki in 1657, there was no bridge across the Sumida River at Ryogoku. Countless people who were driven to the bank of the river and could not escape the fire were killed there. In 1660, in order to save citizens lives in case of fire, the Tokugawa shogunate ordered the building of a bridge across the river and the provision of squares at both ends of the bridge to act as firebreaks. The bridge connected the two provinces of Musashi, west of the river, and Shimosa, east of the river, and was thus called Ryogoku Bridge, literally meaning 'two provinces bridge'.

Shown in this print is the third version of the bridge, constructed in 1839 and being 174 meters in length and 7 meters wide. Numerous people are seen crossing the bridge. The squares at both ends of the bridge were named Hirokoji, meaning 'broad alley' and were two of the most thriving quarters in Edo. Hiroshige here depicts the square on the west bank of the river which was full of people both day and night. Along the river bank stood stalls made of reeds with short curtains hanging from their eaves and which specialized in selling fresh water to passersby. In most cases, the owner of the stall retained beautiful maidservants in order to allure guests into the stall. In the morning, markets were opened in the square and fruit and vegetables were sold on straw mats laid on the ground. In the afternoon, the fruit and vegetables would be cleared away and in their place, various shabby booths made of rush mats were erected to accommodate various amusements such as kabuki plays, humorous story tellers, acrobats, archery and restaurants. When evening drew near, these booths were quickly removed and new stalls put in their place. The new stalls, which had benches inside and were lit by candles, served customers barley tea and a sweet alcoholic drink made from fermented rice.

Both banks of the river near the bridge were called Okawabata, literally meaning 'large riverbank', and the traffic on the river was most congested around the bridge. On the east bank of the river and upstream from the bridge stood warehouses belonging to the shogunate. They are seen on the opposite side of the river with bridges at the north end of the houses.

During the festival in November, fresh ginger was sold on the grounds. Ginger was believed to get rid of impurities in the body. In addition , Chinese medicine, said to be good for maintaining health, and also ointment effective for removing spots on the face were sold on the grounds.