One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.15Suwano Terrace at Nippori

Hongo Terrace was at the far eastern fringe of Musashino Plateau, extending north to southeast. The people living in the region preferred to call various places on the terrace by different names. Some of the more popular names, going from north to south, were Asuka yama (mountain), Suwano dai (terrace) and Ueno yama (mountain). All of them were very popular sightseeing spots with Edo citizens.
Hiroshige has depicted scenery viewed from Suwano Terrace towards the north. Directly north of the terrace lay a vast expanse of lowlands, mainly comprising paddy fields, the right part of which is Mikawashima. The Arakawa River (upstream of the Sumida River) depicted here, before it turned to the south into Edo city, flowed through the lowlands from northwest to southeast parallel with Hongo Terrace. This print shows the lowlands, a village at the foot of the terrace, the banks of the Arakawa River (and a bank of the Old Tone River, on which a row of pine trees is growing) and Mt. Tsukuba in the distance.
Suwano Terrace (Suwa no dai) derived its name from Suwa Shrine, which stood on the terrace. The shrine was surrounded by tall cedar trees, and its grounds were always a mass of color because of the various trees planted there which would blossom at different times of the year. In one part of the grounds was a lookout platform for people to enjoy the magnificent views.
In addition to the above attractions, this area was known as a suitable place for listening to singing insects and viewing the moon.
In this print, Hiroshige depicts people who have come to appreciate the cherry blossoms. Some sit on benches placed on the ground to enjoy viewing the flowers. In those days, visitors would spend a whole day in these particularly peaceful and beautiful surroundings without getting bored. Not surprisingly, this neighbourhood was called Nippori, meaning “village where one can spend the whole day”.