Utagawa Hiroshige – { feuilleton }

View From Massaki of Suijin Shrine, Uchigawa Inlet, and Sekiya.

The views are prints by Utagawa Hiroshige from a series, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (1856–58), which actually contains 119 different views in all. The ones I’ve chosen stand out for their striking formality, the hints of activities taking place outside the frame of the picture, and the contrast of distant views with extreme close-ups. The series ends on a metaphysical note with foxes gathering at night attended by “kitsunebi” ghost flames.

Hachiman Shrine in Ichigaya.

Yoroi Ferry, Koami-cho.

Mannen Bridge in Fukagawa.

Suido Bridge and the Surugadai Quarter.

Continue reading “Seventeen views of Edo”

Aki Province: Itsukushima, Depiction of a Festival, from the series Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces (1853) by Utagawa Hiroshige.

The most recognizable and celebrated feature of the Itsukushima shrine, is its fifty-foot tall vermilion otorii gate (“great gate”), built of decay-resistant camphor wood. The placement of an additional leg in front of and behind each main pillar identifies the torii as reflecting the style of Ryobu Shinto (dual Shinto), a medieval school of esoteric Japanese Buddhism associated with the Shingon Sect. The torii appears to be floating only at high tide. When the tide is low, it is approachable by foot from the island. Gathering shellfish near the gate is also popular at low tide. At night, powerful lights on the shore illuminate the torii. Although the gate has been in place since 1168, the current gate dates back only to 1875. [more]