One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.87Inokashira Pond and Benten Shrine

The Kanda River, in reality a channel, flowed north of Edo castle and was constructed in the early 1650s to supply water to Edo city. The river’s source was Inokashira pond, located 18 kilometres west of the city.
The pond’s water came from seven freshwater springs and, even during droughts, they did not run dry. The Tokugawa shogunate made it a policy to protect the pond because it was an important water source for Edo city. The third-generation shogun Iyemitsu once visited the pond and had a cup of tea made of water taken from one of the springs in the pond. Praising the delicious taste, he remarked of the pond, “Edo no Inokashira”, meaning a wellhead for Edo. The name of the pond is said to have been derived from this remark.
Being located in a secluded place far from Edo city, the pond was surrounded by a dense forest mainly comprised of Japanese cedar trees. Cherry trees were also in the forest, and they blossomed in the spring. In the winter, waterfowls flocked to the pond.
Benten Shrine, enshrining a water goddess considered the guardian of the pond, was built in 1191 on a small peninsula.
Although the pond is situated in a remote place, it attracted many men of letters, poets and painters from the city.
The bird’s-eye view of this print shows Benten Shrine in the bottom left-hand corner and the tranquil pond with plenty of water. On the shore lay thick forests, and several white egrets fly overhead.
One can observe the Kanda River in the several prints of this series. No. 116 shows the river flowing under Omokage bridge at Takata, No. 40 shows the river at Sekiguchi, where a stream to supply water to Edo city branched off, No. 48 shows the river flowing under Suidobashi bridge between Suruga Terrace and Yushima Terrace and No. 47 shows the river flowing under Shoheibashi bridge at Yushima before emptying into the Sumida River.