One Hundred Famous Views of Edo No.91Akiba Shrine grounds in Ukechi village

On the opposite side of the Sumida River from Asakusa, one of the most thriving districts in Edo, was Mukojima, abundant with places of great beauty. Some of the scenic areas included cherry blossoms on the banks of the Sumida River, a variety of flowers and plants at Hyakkaen (literally “one hundred-flowers garden”) and beautiful trees in many shrines. This neighbourhood was also famous for the delicious food served at its restaurants. Accordingly, many people came here for sightseeing from the centre of the city.
Hiroshige has chosen to depict the grounds of Akiba Shrine, which was established in 1702 to enshrine a god of fire. As it was believed to have power to protect people and houses, the shrine was always crowded with many visitors from the centre of Edo city, wheres fire broke out very frequently. Conspicuous among the visitors were many ladies-in-waiting belonging to lords’ harems.
North of the shrine was a huge pond (1.6 hectares in area) surrounded by various kinds of trees, such as pine and maple. A contemporary writer who visited the shrine remarked, “The grounds are so big that they are able to accommodate a garden pond, the making of a large mound of earth to the north and the planting of various pine and finely shaped trees. Within its boundaries, the most conspicuously beautiful objects are the pine trees”.
This print pictures an autumn scene on the grounds. The leaves of the maple trees have turned red and cast their beautiful reflections upon the pond. Finely shaped leafy pine trees are also reflected in the pond and contribute to the beauty of the scene. On the waterfront was a teahouse from which visitors could enjoy the scenery. A bald man sitting on the verandah of the teahouse seems to be writing a haiku (a Japanese seventeen-syllable poem) with a brush. Outside the gate of the shrine stood several restaurants side by side. The specialties in these restaurants were carp dishes and grated yam on rice boiled with barley.