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Sugatami Bridge, Omokage Bridge, and Jariba at Takata, No. 116 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Utagawa Hiroshige

Asian Art

This scene portrays samurai retainers practicing military skills at the Takata Riding Grounds in the hilly northwestern suburbs of Edo. It is a reminder that half of Edo's population consisted of a hereditary warrior class that, even after more than two centuries of peace, was still expected to maintain its military skills. The practice of the martial arts was on the rise at the time this print appeared, reflecting a mounting foreign crisis and a heightened governmental emphasis on education and training.

MEDIUM Woodblock print
  • Place Made: Japan
  • DATES 1st 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)
    SIGNATURE Hiroshige-ga
    COLLECTIONS Asian Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 30.1478.116
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Anna Ferris
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION This view looks north over the Kanda Aqueduct. The gold area was known as Hikawa Ricefields, after the Hikawa Shrine, whose roof can be seen under the red cloud band. In the distance is a bluff where Gakushuin University is presently located. The earth-covered bridge over the Kanda Aqueduct is Omokage Bridge, and the small plank bridge through the paddies is the Sugatami Bridge. There is some confusion over the two bridge names; some gazetteers claim that both names were used interchangeably for the same bridge, the one over Kanda Aqueduct. Both bridge names share the same meaning: "reflection bridge," probably derived from the large Mirror Pond (Kagaminoike) which once filled this area. Hidden in the trees, across from Hikawa Shrine, is the temple of Nanzoin. The small settlement around the temple was known as Jariba (Gravel Pit).
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797-1858). Sugatami Bridge, Omokage Bridge, and Jariba at Takata, No. 116 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 1st 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, 30.1478.116 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 30.1478.116_PS20.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 30.1478.116_PS20.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2023
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