One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.45A bridge having views of eight bridges around

Hiroshige depicts in this print a view from Yatsumi no hashi (meaning “bridge having a view of eight bridges”), so-called because one could see seven other bridges there and, including Yatsumi no hashi itself, the number comes to eight (“yatsu”). The real name of the bridge was Ikkokubashi. At its north foot was located Kinza, the official gold mint.
In this print Hiroshige sketched only two of the other visible bridges but also gives us a glimpse of the one he is standing on, as indicated by the railings in the lower left-hand corner. Traffic on the bridge was so heavy that it rivalled Nihonbashi Bridge. The two bridges in the centre of the print spanned a river, or rather a moat, of Edo castle. Iyeyasu Tokugawa, upon entering Edo, planned to build a town on both sides of the river. That town was the birthplace of Edo city, the largest city in the world in terms of population. More than 1 million people lived in Edo” to avoid repetition at the beginning of the 18th century. London, also one of the world’s largest cities, had a population of 864,000 in 1801.
During the Edo period, the moat, river and canal system developed around the castle were intensively employed to transport all sorts of things. In this print, two boatmen are straining to pole their boat laden with a pile of goods. Another small boat behind it is moored to a post to fish with a four-armed scoop net.
Beyond the two bridges are residential quarters for warriors and the grand Edo castle, the residence of the shogun. In the distance lies Mt. Fuji, dominating the other mountains and surroundings. Mt. Fuji could be seen most clearly during the winter but also in the evening during summer. The sky above the mountain ranges is tinted red to indicate sunset and, against a clear sky, an old willow tree with branches of green leaves hanging down sways gracefully in the gentle breeze.