In the Kameido Tenjin Shrine Compound, from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858)

7th month, 1856

Asian Art

In the 1660s, Kameido Tenjin was placed at the eastern bank of the Sumida River in order to protect a new urban expansion project from evil spirits. Here the shrine is merely suggested by one of the two bridges within the precincts that mark the path to the shrine. This particular bridge was one of two in Edo noted for their “drum” shape. Wisteria blossoms, for which the shrine was renowned, confirm the identification of this bridge with Kameido Tenjin. The bridge in wisteria season was one of the most popular locations for Edokko, or Edoites, to make seasonal visits. Later in the 1880s and 1890s these famous scenic spots depicted by Hiroshige were captured on film by Japanese photographers and sold as quaint images of old Japan. Wisteria in association with the Drum Bridge gave a concrete image of the celebration of the spring and the coming of an early summer. Making visits to famous places was considered great entertainment even among the commoners during the Edo period.

Medium

Ukiyo-e: polychrome woodblock print

Dimensions

sheet: 13 7/16 × 8 3/4 in. (34.1 × 22.3 cm)

Credit Line

Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Gift of Mrs. William H. Moore

Accession Number

1950.438

Geography
Culture
Period

Edo period (1615–1868)

Classification
Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance

Provenance

Mrs. William H. Moore (1858–1955), New York, to 1950; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Bibliography
  • Basil Stewart, A Guide to Japanese Prints and Their Subject Matter (New York: Dover Publications, 1979), 180
Object copyright
Additional information

Object/Work type

color woodcuts

Marks

Publisher's seal mark: Shitaya Uoei 下谷魚栄 (rectangular, relief, lower left margin)\r\nCensor's seal marks: Tatsu shichi 辰七 (7th month 1856, year of the dragon) (oval, relief, upper right margin) & Aratame 改 (round, relief, upper right margin)\r\n

Inscriptions

Meisho Edo Hyakkei: Kameido Tenjin Keidai 名所江戸百景 亀戸天神境内

Signed

“Hiroshige hitsu” (“brushed by Hiroshige”) 廣重筆 (lower left)

Technical metadata and APIs

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