Collections: Asian Art: Haneda Ferry and Benten Shrine (Haneda no Watashi Benten), No. 72 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

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Haneda Ferry and Benten Shrine (Haneda no Watashi Benten), No. 72 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

• Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando), Japanese, 1797-1858
• Medium: Woodblock print
• Place Made: Japan
• Dates: 8th month of 1858
• Period: Edo Period, Ansei Era
• Dimensions: 14 1/4 x 9 1/4in. (36.2 x 23.5cm) Sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36.1 x 23.5 cm) Image: 13 1/4 x 8 7/8 in. (33.7 x 22.5 cm)
• Collections: Asian Art
• Museum Location: This item is not on view
• Accession Number: 30.1478.72
• Credit Line: Gift of Anna Ferris
• Image: Overall, 30.1478.72_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006
Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando) (Japanese, 1797-1858). Haneda Ferry and Benten Shrine (Haneda no Watashi Benten), No. 72 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 8th month of 1858. Woodblock print, 14 1/4 x 9 1/4in. (36.2 x 23.5cm) Sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36.1 x 23.5 cm) Image: 13 1/4 x 8 7/8 in. (33.7 x 22.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.72 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 30.1478.72_PS1.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: This unusual image shows a ferryman propelling a scull from the fishing village of Haneda, across the mouth of the Tama River. The ferryman's hairy limbs have provoked varied responses from viewers. The scull, depicted here, was some ten or twelve feet long, fitted with a wooden socket that pivoted on a protruding ball in the stern. To counterbalance the weight of the blade and to stabilize the rhythmic action needed to manipulate it, boatmen used a rope looped around a peg, seen falling vertically at center. In the distance, a lighthouse warns of the land projecting from the left. Nestled among the trees is the Haneda Benten Shrine (Benton is the goddess of water and beauty). Today this area is marked by Benten Bridge at the entrance to Haneda International Airport. The shrine itself was moved to the west when the airport was expanded in 1948.