One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.85Kinokunizaka slope and distant view over Tameike pond and Akasaka

This print shows a view from the top of Kinokunizaka slope, looking over Tameike (pond) towards a village at Akasaka. A huge mansion of a lord from Kii Province (Kii no Kuni) was on the right side of the slope, and thus the slope was known as Kinokunizaka. In old times, the hill was called Mt. Akane, named after a plant whose root was used as a red (“aka”) pigment, and the slope was known as Akasaka, the name widely referred to in this neighbourhood.
The procession of a feudal lord is coming up Kinokunizaka slope heralded by lower class warriors, one of whom carries a long lance with its point capped by bird’s feathers. Although only one file in the procession was depicted in this print, one can assume that this procession was comprised of two files, and the holders of lances amount to four. This kind of the large procession with four lances in it was only allowed to the Tokugawa house. The Kii family, which resided in the huge mansion on the right-hand side of the slope, was one of these three. Considering these elements, the procession shown here was the one which just came out of the mansion of the Kii family.
The Tameike pond mentioned in the title of this print is not shown. It lay behind the houses at Akasaka along the foot of Sanno terrace, depicted on the left side of this print.
The pond on the left side of the slope was Benkeibori moat, named after its constructor, Benkei Kozaemon.
On the noticeboard in the pond were written words prohibiting fishing.
Beyond the pond, the houses of Akasaka village are seen with their roofs close together. In the distance is a tall fire watchtower which stands in the grounds of a Daimyo (lord) next to Zojoji Temple. A second fire watchtower, closer and on the right-hand side of the print, stands on the ground of the mansion of the Lord Kii.