Exploring Japanese Landmarks in Nishiki-e and Photographs

Ueno Hirokoji / Shitaya / Yamashita

The area around the present day Ueno Park (the former Kan’ei-ji Temple). Ueno Hirokoji is the area from the entrance to present day Ueno Park to Matsuzakaya. After the Great Fire of Meireki (1657), the street width was widened and the area was made into a firebreak. This was a shopping quarter lined with grocery stores, restaurants and other shops along the route of the Onarimichi (a special road used by the imperial family, regents and advisers and the shogun) successive Shoguns throughout history when they went to worship at the Kan’ei-ji Temple. At the intersection of the present day Chuo St. and Shinobazu St. the Shinobu-gawa River flowed, and there were 3 bridges over it so the area was called Mihashi (three bridges). Matsuzakaya and Mihashi were both pictured in nishiki-e. Shitaya refers to a section on the east side of Kan’ei-ji Temple (present day Ueno Park), and the name (lower valley) was in reference to Ueno, which was a plateau. Yamashita (below mountain) refers to being beneath Toeizan. It was located in the area within the present day JR Ueno Station building and the plaza in front of the station. In 1737 it was made into a firebreak after a fire, and became an amusement district with stores and entertainment booths rather than a residential area.

Nishiki-e and Paintings

[上野三枚橋之図]

名所江戸百景　上野山した

〔江戸高名会亭尽〕　〔下谷広小路〕

下谷広小路

名所江戸百景　下谷広小路

Photos

東京景色写真版

日本百景上 2版

日本之名勝

旅の家つと第２９都の巻

日本之名勝

旅の家つと第２９都の巻

日本之名勝

仁山智水帖

日本之勝景 : 一名・帝国美観

仁山智水帖

日本之勝観

最新東京名所写真帖

東京名所写真帖 : Views of Tokyo [1]

東京風景

日本写真帖

Other Materials

東叡山黒門前　忍川　三橋（挿絵）　松濤軒斎藤長秋著 et.al, "江戸名所図会 7巻 [14]" (須原屋茂兵衛[ほか] 1834)

Landmarks around Ueno Hirokoji / Shitaya / Yamashita

Shinobazu no ike Pond　Kanda Myojin Shrine　Shohei-bashi Bridge　Ochanomizu　Yushima　Nezu　Kanei-ji Temple　Hongo　Surugadai　Suruga-cho

About This Site

The NDL Image Bank is a public-domain digital gallery of the National Diet Library, the national library in Japan. Our website has thousands of out-of-copyright Japanese artworks and images from our library’s extensive collection!

The NDL Gallery is online content that you can enjoy using the digitized materials of the National Diet Library. It also provides information on exhibitions in the National Diet Library.

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