Nihonbashi Bridge and Edobashi Bridge (Nihonbashi to Edobashi), No. 43 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

This print is the first of the summer designs in the series, and like the first part of the spring group it depicts Nihonbashi, the famous bridge at the center of downtown Edo. The fish in the bucket at the lower right represents the famous "first bonito"—a type of tuna—that signified the beginning of summer. Fishermen competed annually to bring the earliest catch of the bonito schools to the Edo market, knowing that they could command outrageous prices. The appeal lay less in the taste of the fish than in its rarity.