One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.17The north view from Asuka Mountain

On the eastern edge of Yamanote Terrace, extending in a northwest‐southeast direction, were such cherry viewing spots as Asukayama, Suwanodai and Uenoyama. Yama can mean “hill” or “mountain” but it is also used to denote any land of some height. Out of them, the best spot was Uenoyama. Although the Tokugawa shogun family’s temple and grounds stood there, the grounds were open to the public during the daytime, but there were many restrictions on the behavior of the public. For example, they were not allowed to sing songs to the accompaniment of musical instruments or to remain on the grounds after 6 p.m.
At the beginning of the 18th century, taking into consideration the restrictions on public behaviour in the temple grounds, a shogun ordered the planting of several thousand cherry trees on Asukayama, north of Uenoyama, so that the public might enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms without feeling constrained. This area was finally donated by the shogun to a shrine located at the northern foot of Asukayama.
Since then, this area has been crowded with people from Edo city all year round. Here they could enjoy without restraint a magnificent view of the cherry blossoms in spring, a cool breeze in summer, the red maple trees in autumn and a snowy scene in winter. However, the people enjoyed the cherry blossoms the most.
In this print, Hiroshige has chosen to depict the cherry blossom season and the scene is one of the views from Asukayama to the north. The ground is crowded with various kinds of people. Some enjoy the cherry blossoms while sitting on mats laid on the ground. On the left, two men holding fans merrily dance, while in the foreground there is a group of women, all of whom carry umbrellas to shade their faces from the sun. At the foot of Asukayama is a vast expanse of paddy fields extending to the Arakawa River (upstream of the Sumida River), beyond which flowed another river, the Old Tone. Beyond the bank of the river, Mt. Tsukuba can be seen dominating the other mountains.