Utagawa Ando Hiroshige : “Zojoji Pagoda and Akabane” (1857)

Utagawa (also called Ando) Hiroshige is recognized as one of the last great masters of the ukiyo-e tradition. Literally, “pictures of the floating world,” ukiyo-e had largely emphasized erotic and pop cultural subjects, such as beautiful women, kabuki actors, and scenes from history and folk tales, but Hiroshige — following Hokusai — chose to specialize in landscapes and travel series which dovetailed with the rising popularity of tourism in Edo Japan. It is estimated that he created more than 5,000 prints during his lifetime and each is a visual poem unto itself.

Zojoji Pagoda and Akabane is one of his final series, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, which he began on retiring from the world to become a Buddhist monk in 1856. According to the Brooklyn Museum, “The Zojoji Pagoda was part of the mausoleum of the second shogun, Hidetada. It lay at the southern edge of a hill above the tomb itself. Hiroshige chooses to show only the pagoda’s top two stories, painted a splendid red. The dense mass of evergreens pressing close around the building was believed to protect against fire. The six vertical banners rising behind the stylized cloud in the center signify the famous Suitengo Shrine, known for assuring safe births. The area became crowded on the fifth day of each month, when the shrine was opened to the public. The view is to the southwest with Akabane Bridge spanning the Furukawa River in the center.”