Akasaka Kiribatake, No. 52 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

The place name "Kiribatake," or "Paulownia Fields," in Hiroshige's day referred to a stretch of land along the southern shore of Tameike ("Storage Pond"), an elongated reservoir that formed part of the outer moat of Edo Castle at centrally located Akasaka. In this view, Tameike curves northward in the distance with lotus plants scattered through the shallow, swampy water. Two paulownia trees dominate the foreground. Planted in the early eighteenth century, they were most likely intended as a decorative way to prevent erosion.