Exploring Japanese Landmarks in Nishiki-e and Photographs

Shinagawa

Seafood was abundant off the coast of Shinagawa, and the term "Edo mae" (Edo style) originated here. As one of the Osai Sakana Hachigaura (8 fishing areas which presented seafood to the Shogun family), fishing was very prosperous, however after the Perry Expedition, Odaiba was constructed, and the traffic of warships, etc. made it impossible to use large scale fishing gear, and the seaweed gathering business which was already famous throughout the country, prospered even more. In addition, because the sea was shallow, even the area offshore would become tidal flats past noon, so it was popular for people to go offshore in boats in the early mornings of the spring and summer, wait for the tide, and then gather oysters, clams, flounder and seaweed. On June 7th, the Shinagawa Tenno Matsuri festival was held,and during the festival the mikoshi portable shrines of the Ebara-jinja Shrine, which was south of the Meguro-kawa River at the time, and the mikoshi portable shrines of Shingawa Myojin no Yashiro Shrine, which was located north across the river, passed on the bridge and were also split between the north and south. This became one of the annual events of Edo together with the shellfish gathering mentioned above.

Nishiki-e and Paintings

江戸名所

品川

江戸自慢三十六興　品川海苔

日本風景選集 2

改正五十三驛

川瀬巴水版画集 2

清親畫帖 [1]

東京名所 [10]

Photos

旅の家つと第１２東京附近の巻

仁山智水帖

東京風景

日本写真帖

東海道 : 広重画五拾三次現状写真対照

Other Materials

品川汐干（挿絵）　『江戸名所図会 7巻』（1834）

Shinagawa-shuku Station

A posting station which was located on the Tokaido Highway close to Aomono-yokocho from the present day Keihin Kyuko Kitashinagawa Station. This was one of the "Shishuku" first posting stations encountered after entering the Five Highways from Edo, together with Itabashi on the Nakasendo Highway, Senjyu on the Nikko/Oshu Highway, and Naitoshinjuku on the Koshudochu Highway. The next station was Kawasaki-shuku (Kanagawa-shuku before 1623) so this was the only posting station on the Tokaido within the City of Edo. At first this was composed of 2 stations across the Meguro-gawa River, "Kitashinagawa-shuku" and "Minamishinagawa-shuku", however in 1722 the "Toho Shinjuku" was added to the north, and became the posting station for approximately 2km of the Tokaido Highway from Yatsuyama in the north to Oimurazakai (There are some historical materials on which this is called "Myokokujimonzen") in the south. The station facilities included inns, restaurants, and shops in addition to unofficial pleasure quarters for the Shogunate Government, which was so successful that it came to be called "Nangoku" (southern country) in comparison to the officially authorized pleasure quarters in Asakusa which were called "Hokkoku" (northern country).

Nishiki-e and Paintings

江戸名所之内品川の駅海上

東海道五拾三次　品川・日之出

東海道 : 広重画五拾三次現状写真対照

東海道風景図会 2編 [1]

東海道五十三次 [1]

Other Materials

品川駅（本文）　『江戸名所図会 7巻』（1834）
品川駅（挿絵）　『江戸名所図会 7巻』（1834）

Suzaki

A sandback which jutted out into the ocean like a cape from Minami Shinagawa-shuku 1 chome along the Meguro-gawa River in a northeast direction. Originally called Kabutojima, it was a sandbank with no dwellings, however in 1655, people who rejected the obligation to provide labor and horses for transportation to government officials moved here, and Minami Shinagawa Ryoshimachi was established, then in 1834, the Shinagawa Shinkaiba (Kagatashinchi) reclamation of the frontage of the town was completed. On the tip the Susaki Benten-do Hall was located, and Kagatashinchi, Ryoshimachi and Shinagawa Kitahonjyuku were linked by the Toriumi-bashi Bridge. In addition, Ryoshimachi was also called "Shinagawaura", and as one of the Osai Sakana Hachigaura (8 fishing areas which presented seafood to the Shogun family) it offered up the fish it caught to the Shogunate government kitchens. Further, the specialty product of Edo, Asakusa Nori, was given the name because it was sold in Asakusa, however it was actually cultivated in seaweed farms in Samezu to the south of here.