Artist:Utagawa Hiroshige
Medium: Woodblock print
Geograhical Locations:
Dates:9th month of 1857
Dimensions: Image: 13 1/4 x 8 7/8 in. (33.7 x 22.5 cm) Sheet: 14 13/16 x 9 3/16 in. (37.6 x 23.3 cm)
Collections:
Exhibitions:
Accession Number: 30.1478.10
Image: 30.1478.10_PS20.jpg,
Catalogue Description: Three figures pause to contemplate the glow of the eastern horizon over a mass of gray roofs below. The place is Kanda Myojin, considered to be the patron shrine of the citizenry of Edo, sharing its honors only with Hie Sanno Shrine (see pl. 51), in the dawn, when the benches of the outdoor teahouse lie empty. The three figures are all keepers of the shrine: a priest to the left, followed by a shrine maiden (miko) and an attendant as they begin their morning rounds. The view over the city, its low horizon back-lit by the rising sun, suggests the watchfulness of Kanda Myojin and its patron deity, the fearful Taira Masakado, over the fortunes of all Edo. The robes of the priest involve three separate bokashi gradations, while the overgarment (hifu) of the miko bears a fine printed cloud pattern, the white of the robes on the figures to the right is executed in fabric printing.