One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.111An arched bridge at the foot of Yuhinooka Hill at Meguro

The name Yuhinooka, literally “sunset hill”, was derived from the magnificent view of the setting sun that could be seen here. It was located on the southwestern edge of Yodobashi Terrace.
The hill has a southwesterly aspect, skirted by the Meguro River, and its slope is called Gyoninzaka. As we can see in the foreground of the print, the river is spanned by a uniquely shaped stone bridge called Taikobashi (“arched bridge”).
At the foot of the bridge stands a teahouse which serves bowls of sweet bean-paste soup with a piece of rice cake, a popular dish at tea time.
In autumn, from the window of the house, guests could enjoy splendid views of the hill covered with red and yellow leaves shining in the setting sun. The hill is drawn on the left of the print.
Beyond the bridge, the road going to the right is lined with restaurants and shops selling rice cakes, sweets, etc., and leads to famous temples and shrines. Three of them in particular were very popular among Edo people: 1. Meguro Fudo, which enshrined Fudoson, Buddhist god of fire; 2. Konpira shrine, which enshrined Konpiragongen, the guardian deity of seafarers; and 3. Takoyakushi (meaning Octopus Yakushi), which enshrined Yakushi (the Healing Buddha) and was believed to have the power of healing warts and moles.
The beautiful scenery and miraculous powers available at Yuhinooka made this area a popular destination for a day’s excursion for people from the Edo region.
Hiroshige has once again chosen to depict a winter scene rather than the autumn scene of maple trees that could be seen here. From the dark sky, snow is quietly falling, and as people walk along the snow covered road, they seek the protection of umbrellas or large sedge hats. A man of refined taste might have enjoyed the snowy scenery from the window of the teahouse while hat could be seen here, drinking warmed Japanese sake.