Collections: Asian Art: Takata Riding Grounds, No. 115 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

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Takata Riding Grounds, No. 115 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

• Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando), Japanese, 1797-1858
• Medium: Woodblock print
• Place Made: Japan
• Dates: 2nd month of 1857
• Period: Edo Period, Ansei Era
• Dimensions: sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36.0 x 23.5 cm); image: 13 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. (34.0 x 22.2 cm)
• Collections: Asian Art
• Museum Location: This item is not on view
• Accession Number: 30.1478.115
• Credit Line: Gift of Anna Ferris
• Image: Overall, 30.1478.115_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006
Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando) (Japanese, 1797-1858). Takata Riding Grounds, No. 115 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 2nd month of 1857. Woodblock print, sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36.0 x 23.5 cm); image: 13 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. (34.0 x 22.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.115 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 30.1478.115_PS1.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: The samurai retainers practiced their military skills at the Takata Riding Grounds. In the middle distance two riders gallop past each other and at one end of the lawn, three archers take aim at a leather-faced target to the left. Hiroshige himself was of the samurai class, and his grandfather, Tanaka Koemon, had been an instructor of archery. The trees proved to be a good wind-break and local farmers set up teahouses so that the grounds became a pleasant place for outings. The entire track was about 60 yards wide and 400 yards long. After the Restoration, the land became filled with houses, as it is today. The Takata Riding Grounds gave its name to the nearby Takadanobaba Station on the Yamanote Line.