Collections: Asian Art: Aoi Slope, Outside Toranomon Gate, No. 113 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Want to add this object to a set? Please join the Posse, or log in.

Aoi Slope, Outside Toranomon Gate, No. 113 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Why are two half-naked figures out on such a chilly night? It was customary for artisan apprentices to engage in kan-mairi, wintry nighttime visits to temples and shrines where they would bathe in icy water to temper their bodies and offer prayers to the gods for the refinement of their skills. These two apprentices are returning from a visit to Konpira Shrine, which lay directly behind and to the right. Like the bundled figures on Aoi Slope to the left, they carry lanterns; the lantern of the shorter apprentice bears the name of the shrine god, Konpira Daigongen. The other apprentice also holds a small bell, which he rings as they hurry bravely through the cold.

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando), Japanese, 1797-1858
Medium: Woodblock print
Place Made: Japan
Dates: 11th month of 1857
Period: Edo Period, Ansei Era
Dimensions: Sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36 x 23.5 cm) Image: 13 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. (34 x 22.2 cm) (show scale)
Markings: Publisher: Shitaya Uo Ei
Signature: Hiroshige-ga
Collections:Asian Art
Museum Location: This item is not on view
Accession Number: 30.1478.113
Credit Line: Gift of Anna Ferris
Rights Statement: No known copyright restrictions
This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement.

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please contact reproductions@brooklynmuseum.org (charges apply).

The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act.

The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals.

For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch.

For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright.

If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Caption: Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando) (Japanese, 1797-1858). Aoi Slope, Outside Toranomon Gate, No. 113 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 11th month of 1857. Woodblock print, Sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36 x 23.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.113
Image: overall, 30.1478.113_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don't yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

Catalogue Description: To the left in this view is the Aoi Slope of the title, along which some people, obviously chilled by the cold air, are walking with the aid of their lanterns. The water pouring over the spillway to the right is the overflow from Tameike Pond, which fell into the Outer Moat and passed by the Toranomon Gate (not seen here). The two large barren trees to the left are hackberry trees from which Enoki Slope (further to the left) took its name. At right is Sanno Hill and the gray temple buildings of Sanno Shrine. In the foreground, the two almost naked figures are artisan apprentices; it was their custom at the coldest time of the year to visit temples and shrines at night and bathe in the icy water and offer prayers to the gods for the refinement of their skills. The younger apprentice carries a lantern which bears the name of the shrine god, Konpira Daigongen, while the older one is ringing a small bell. Behind the stray dogs are the portable stalls of noodle vendors, hung with red lanterns. Tameike Pond was drained and leveled in the mid-1880's and Aoi Slope now survives as a street in front of Toranomon Hospital.
Record Completeness: Best (88%)
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

shrine [x]		prayer [x]
gods [x]		apprentice [x]
ritual [x]		cat [x]
dog [x]		Konpira Daigongen [x]
kan-mairi [x]		hiroshige [x]
moon [x]		woodblock [x]
walking [x]		gate [x]
japanese [x]		path [x]
night [x]		edo [x]
tree [x]		stars [x]
print [x]

Separate each tag with a space: painting portrait.

Or join words together in one tag by using double quotes: "Brooklyn Museum."

Tags by Posse members

tld (7)
- dog
- cat
- ritual
- apprentice
- gods
- prayer
- shrine
RajArumugam (2)
- kan-mairi
- Konpira Daigongen
not_here (12)
- night
- tree
- print
- woodblock
- japanese
- edo
- stars
- moon
- gate
- path
- walking
- hiroshige

Before you comment...

We get a lot of comments, so before you post yours, check to see if your issue is addressed by one of the questions below. Click on a question to see our answer:

Why are some objects not on view?

The Museum’s permanent collections are very large and only a fraction of these can be on exhibition at any given time. Sometimes works are lent to other museums for special exhibitions; sometimes they are in the conservation laboratory for study or maintenance. Certain types of objects, such as watercolors, textiles, and photographs, are sensitive to light and begin to fade if they are exposed for too long, so their exhibition time is limited. Finally, as large as the Museum is, there is not enough room to display everything in the collections. In order to present our best works, collections are rotated periodically.

How do I find out how much an object in the Brooklyn Museum collections is worth?

The Museum does not disclose the monetary values of objects in its collections.

Can you tell me the value of an artwork that I own?

The Museum does not provide monetary appraisals. To determine the value of an object or to find an appraiser, you may contact the Art Dealers Association of America or the American Society of Appraisers.

I own a similar object. Can you tell me more about it?

Please submit via e-mail a photograph of the object you own and as much information about it as you can, and we will provide any additional information we are able to find. Please note that research in our files is a lengthy process, and you may not have a response for some time.

How would I go about lending or gifting a work to the Museum or seeing if the Museum is interested in purchasing a work that I own?

Please submit via e-mail a photograph of the object you would like us to consider, as well as all of the information you have about it, and your offer will be forwarded to the appropriate curator. The Brooklyn Museum collections are very rich, and we have many works that are not currently on exhibition; because of this, and because storage space is limited, we are very selective about adding works. However, the collection has become what it is today through the generosity of the public, and we continue to be grateful for this generosity, which can still lead to exciting new acquisitions.

How can I get a reproduction of a work in your collection?

Please see the Museum’s information on Image Services.

How can I show my work to someone at the Museum or be considered for an exhibition?

Please see the Museum’s Artist Submission Guidelines.

Why do many objects not have photographs and/or complete descriptions?

The Museum's collection is very large, and we are constantly in the process of adding photographs and descriptions to works that do not currently have them, or replacing photographs that have deteriorated beyond use and descriptions that are minimal or out of date. This is a long and expensive process that takes time.