One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.26Armour hanging pine tree at Yakei slope

To the south of Shinagawa station, lowlands of marshes and paddy fields stretched between Sanno Terrace and Edo Bay. A steep slope called Yakeizaka rose steeply from the lowlands to a terrace area near Omori, and an old pine tree stood at the edge of the terrace.
Yoshiie Minamoto (1039-1106), a military leader of the Minamoto family, happened to stop at this spot on his way to the north of Japan to subdue his enemy. While having a rest, he took off his armour and hung it on the pine tree. In honour of such an important person as Minamoto stopping in the district, the local people named the special tree the ‘armour hanging pine tree’.
The tree was over 20 metres tall and its trunk was so wide that even a cow could hide behind it without being seen. Its branches hung down like a willow tree’s, and some of the tips reached as low as 1.5 metres above the ground. Furthermore, the tree had a beautiful shape and was very pleasing to the eye for visitors stopping here.
Looking from the edge of the terrace, one could gaze at the vast expanse of Edo Bay, on which white sailboats floated. Due to the magnificent views this place offered to visitors, it was frequented by many people. Along the seashore runs the Tokaido Highway and quite a few travellers are seen walking along it. No doubt some of the those passing this neighbourhood came up to the terrace to enjoy the wonderful view. In this print a few people are climbing up the slope. On the terrace are seen two palanquins with passengers in them being carried by bearers. For the convenience of the visitors, teahouses were built on the terrace.