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View From Massaki of Suijin Shrine, Uchigawa Inlet, and Sekiya, No. 36 in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Utagawa Hiroshige

Asian Art

Late in an early spring day, we sit on the second floor of one of the teahouses in front of Massaki Inari Shrine, savoring the dengaku—small squares of skewered tofu brushed with a sweet miso sauce and grilled over charcoal—that was the famed signature dish of these restaurants. We have here reversed directions from the previous print and are now on the west side of the Sumida River looking northeast.

Suijin Shrine is just visible in the grove of trees to the right. In the distance we see the Uchigawa Inlet, the Sekiya plains, and the twin peaks of Mount Tsukuba.

MEDIUM Woodblock print
  • Place Made: Japan
  • DATES 8th month of 1857
    PERIOD Edo Period, Ansei Era
    DIMENSIONS 14 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. (36.2 x 23.5 cm)  (show scale)
    MARKINGS Signature in red cartouche, lower left. Date and censor seals, upper right. No publisher's seal visible, probably lost when left margin was trimmed.
    SIGNATURE Hiroshige-ga
    COLLECTIONS Asian Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 30.1478.36
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Anna Ferris
    PROVENANCE Prior to 1930, provenance not yet documented; by 1930, acquired by Anna Ferris of Summit, NJ; 1930, gift of Anna Ferris to the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION This scene in early spring looks out from the round window on the Sumida River from the second floor of a teahouse in front of the Massaki Inari Shrine. This restaurant may well be the "Kinoeneya," most famous for its "dengaku," small squares of skewered tofu, brushed with a sweet miso sauce and grilled over charcoal. The Uchigawa Inlet extends in the distance to the right. The area on the far side, below Mount Tsukuba, is the Sekiya no Sato, a name given for the countryside here. The popularity of Massaki Inari and that of the "dengaku" restaurants, within this area, began in 1757 and was still strong in Hiroshige's time.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858). View From Massaki of Suijin Shrine, Uchigawa Inlet, and Sekiya, No. 36 in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 8th month of 1857. Woodblock print, 14 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. (36.2 x 23.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.36 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 30.1478.36_PS20.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 30.1478.36_PS20.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2023
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