100 Views of Edo # 83 by Ando Hiroshige

Additional Pictures: Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Print Title: Shinagawa Susaki (Shinagawa Susaki), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: 1856

Size: Oban; 13 1/4" x 8 5/8" + Margins as shown (21.8 x 33.7 cm + margins)

Date of this edition: 1856

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Mild fading, and mild toning.

More about this print: In contrast with the subtleties of the preceding work is the straightforward topographical view in this print. The brightly lit second-story room to the lower left is in one of the same Shinagawa brothels. The center of attention, however, is the small shrine nestled among the pine trees and accented by its bright red torii (gate) and lantern.

Dedicated to Benten, the goddess of water, music, and literature, this shrine was known as Susaki because of its location at the end of a narrow spit of land, or susaki, that extended out from the mouth of the Meguro River here where it emptied into Edo Bay. The symbolic function of a Benten shrine as protector of rivers is nicely expressed in this view.

Pictures: Pictures are taken outdoor, in the shade, to reflect true colors, without any enhancements of any kind. The last picture is taken indoor, with a light behind the print, to reveal the exact paper grain, holes if any, or other possible flaws.