The hill at Atagoyama in Minato Ward, Tokyo, where this work was made, still exists today. During the Edo Period (1603–1868), it afforded a wonderful view that was popular with visitors. In this painting, the scenery off the coast of Shinagawa, with the horizon and clouds in the wide-open sky, is particularly impressive. If you look at the townscape, you can see white Western-style buildings among the tile-roofed houses. There is also black smoke in the center and lower left, and white smoke in the lower right. At the time this work was made, Shinagawa had a port where government ships anchored, and Japan’s first railway line also traveled along this coast, connecting Shimbashi with Yokohama. Perhaps the smoke comes from the steamships and steam trains that were a regular feature of the local scenery at the time.
(Osawa Sayoko)
The hill at Atagoyama in Minato Ward, Tokyo, where this work was made, still exists today. During the Edo Period (1603–1868), it afforded a wonderful view that was popular with visitors. In this painting, the scenery off the coast of Shinagawa, with the horizon and clouds in the wide-open sky, is particularly impressive. If you look at the townscape, you can see white Western-style buildings among the tile-roofed houses. There is also black smoke in the center and lower left, and white smoke in the lower right. At the time this work was made, Shinagawa had a port where government ships anchored, and Japan’s first railway line also traveled along this coast, connecting Shimbashi with Yokohama. Perhaps the smoke comes from the steamships and steam trains that were a regular feature of the local scenery at the time.
(Osawa Sayoko)