One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.10Morning scene at Kanda Myojin Shrine

Kanda Myojin Shrine was located northeast of Edo castle. This northeasterly direction was believed to be unlucky, so the Tokugawa shogun built the shrine to protect the castle from an evil spirit.
The festival at this shrine was one of the two biggest held in Edo and took place in the autumn, alternating with the festival at Sanno Hie Shrine at Akasaka. Among the parishes of this shrine were such wealthy towns as Kanda, Nihonbashi and Kyobashi, located in the commercial centre of Edo, and therefore the funds necessary to hold the festival were plentiful. In addition, the young parishioners participated in the festival enthusiastically and it was rich in pageantry. During the festival, 36 brightly decorated floats, followed by others used for dancing, and portable shrines belonging to respective parishes were carried by strong and cheerful parishioners. They first entered Edo castle through Tayasu Gate to pay respect to the shogun in the castle and afterward paraded through the relevant parishes.
Hiroshige, instead of choosing the cheerful aspect of the festival, has depicted a calm scene of the shrine in the early morning before a Shinto ritual starts.
The red-tinted eastern horizon lying beyond sleepy Edo city suggests that the sun will soon rise. Temporary benches have been already placed at the corner of the shrine precinct for the convenience of visitors.
In the grounds of the shrine, a Shinto priest attended by his shrine maiden seems to emerge to worship the rising sun.