One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.13Hirokoji at Shitaya

Ueno mountain was a part of a terrace and the lowland southeast of it was called Shitaya, meaning “valley below”.
At the far end of the wide street called Hirokoji are the Ueno woods, where a temple was built for the Tokugawa family. Whenever memorial services for departed members of the family were held at the temple, the shogun travelled along this broad street. Therefore, the alternate name for the street was Shogunate Road.
This unusually broad street was constructed by order of the shogun to protect temples and shrines on Ueno mountain from burning down. During the Edo period, houses were mostly built of timber and paper and easily caught fire. Accordingly, when fire broke out it destroyed many houses. Assuming that very broad streets would function as a firebreak, the shogun required the construction of broad streets in the strategically important places in Edo city and each was named Hirokoji, meaning “broad street”.
The neighbourhood along this street developed into a temple town and also an amusement centre. This print shows Hirokoji lined with shops and restaurants and crowded with many people, an indication that it was one of the most thriving streets in Edo city. Among the people, a female troupe of traditional musicians, each carrying an umbrella, is moving towards Ueno mountain, presumably to enjoy the cherry blossoms in full bloom.
The front store on the right sells drapery and dry goods. Its name is Matsuzakaya and it has gone on to establish itself as one of the leading department stores in present-day Japan. The insignia, inscribed on the brown and blue curtains hanging outside the store, is still used today. Beyond the store can be seen a small house, with paper screens, protruding into the street. This was one of the many Japanese-style barbershops which could be found in Edo city at this time.