One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.101Asakusa paddy field and a procession of visitors to Otori Shrine

West of the Yoshiwara licensed quarters stood Otori Shrine. The statue enshrined there was of Buddha, who is depicted standing on the back of a flying eagle with its wings spread. A large bird like the eagle is referred to as “otori” in Japanese, thus the name of the shrine.
In the old days, Japan had the custom of expressing dates by using 12 signs, a kind of zodiac, which included 9 mammals, a bird, a reptile and a dragon. Therefore, a particular sign would come once every 12 days.
The day of the bird during November each year was called “tori no hi”, or bird day, and a festival was held at the shrine. Usually tori no hi occurred twice in the month of November, but there were occasions when it would have three. It was superstitiously believed by people that in those particular years, fires would break out more frequently than others.
Tori, or rather toru, in Japanese has a phonetic meaning of “acquire” or “obtain”. Therefore, it was believed that if people worshipped the god of the shrine, they would be given a wish for anything that they wanted. The shrine was also believed to have the power of bringing worshippers prosperity in business. As a result, when the festival was held the shrine attracted thousands of people. Tools symbolic of “acquiring something”, like rakes and brooms, were sold to visitors at stalls set up along the roads leading to the shrine.
Hiroshige sketched an evening scene during tori no hi from the window of a house in the licensed quarters. In the middle of a paddy field called Asakusa Tanbo, countless people in procession are returning from the shrine carrying rakes over their shoulders.
In the distance is Mt. Fuji standing against the red evening sky. Inside the house, a white cat looks on, and a used towel is flung onto the window frame. On the tatami mat lie four ornamental hairpins shaped like rakes, evidently bought at the festival. It was believed the hairpins would bring good fortune to those who wore them.