Skip Navigation

Shinagawa Susaki, No. 83 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Utagawa Hiroshige

Asian Art

In contrast with the subtleties of the preceding work is the straightforward topographical view in this print. The brightly lit second-story room to the lower left is in one of the same Shinagawa brothels. The center of attention, however, is the small shrine nestled among the pine trees and accented by its bright red torii (gate) and lantern. Dedicated to Benten, the goddess of water, music, and literature, this shrine was known as Susaki because of its location at the end of a narrow spit of land, or susaki, that extended out from the mouth of the Meguro River here where it emptied into Edo Bay. The symbolic function of a Benten shrine as protector of rivers is nicely expressed in this view.

MEDIUM Woodblock print
  • Place Made: Japan
  • DATES 8th 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
    ACCESSION NUMBER 30.1478.83
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Anna Ferris
    PROVENANCE Prior to 1930, provenance not yet documented; by 1930, acquired by Anna Ferris of Summit, NJ; 1930, gift of Anna Ferris to the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION The primary focal point here is the small Benten shrine, known as the Susaki Shrine, which is situated among the pine trees with its bright red torii and lantern. It is located on the narrow piece of land (susaki) extending out from the mouth of the Meguro River, which emptied into Edo Bay. Benten originated in India as the goddess Sarasvati, the personification of the sacred river of the same name. In Chinese Buddhism, Benten (properly Benzaiten) was first worshipped in Japan as the patroness of learning and the arts. In the Tokugawa period, she became more of a goddess of commercial fortune. However, the original connection with water continued to be symbolic in the location of Benten shrines, found in Edo at the mouths of rivers here (and in print 72 of the series), in the middle of ponds (prints 87, 117), and in riverbank grottoes (print 88). Thus came about the function of a Benten shrine as protector of rivers. At the lower left, the brightly lit second storey room is in one of the Shinagawa brothels, as seen in the previous print. An almost identical view appeared in Hiroshige's "Ehon Edo Miyage," volume VII. The red in the horizon forms a pleasing contrast to the blue of the water and the waves near the shore. The bridge at the lower right is Torimi Bridge, which was renamed Hinkai Bridge in the Meiji Period and subsequently replaced by an overhead pedestrian bridge in the late 1960's when this channel was filled. The shrine survives, but was renamed Kagata Shrine for a reclamation project nearby.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858). Shinagawa Susaki, No. 83 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 8th 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, 30.1478.83 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 30.1478.83_PS20.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 30.1478.83_PS20.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2023
    "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.
    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 fill out our online application form (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.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    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.