One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.109Samezu seacoast at South Shinagawa

The name Samezu, a coastal area located to the south of Shinagawa station, literally means “shark shore” and was derived from an old legend. The story has it that in 1251 a huge shark which had swallowed a Buddhist “kannon” sculpture was caught off the shore here. After hearing this news, a provincial lord instructed the fisherman to build a temple to enshrine the sculpture. Thus the shore was named Samezu.
Villagers living along the shore were engaged in the production of nori (seaweed). In winter, they built structures called “shibi” out of bamboo and tree branches and placed them in rows in the seawater. The seaweed attached itself to the wood and grew. Fishermen would go out by boat to collect the mature seaweed from the wooden structures in the morning. They would clean and wash the seaweed in fresh water, spread it out on screens and leave it to dry in the sun.
In this print are depicted countless rows of shibi put up in the shallow sea off the coast. Several fishing boats are moving busily through these rows collecting seaweed larvae.
The Tokaido Highway which leads to Kyoto runs along this stretch of seacoast. The houses seen on the left of this print are lining the highway.
The cluster of houses behind the wooded headland protruding into the sea is probably Shinagawa station. At the back of the station rise several hills, including those popularly called Gotenyama, on which lies a famous cherry tree-viewing spot.
In the distance, above the clouds, looms Mt. Tsukuba.