Painting of Hanami in Goten-yama (Edo Meisyo Shiki no Nagame Goten-yama Hanami no Zu)
Painted by Utagawa Hiroshige I Around 1847-1848 (Kōka 4-Kaei 1) Tokyo Shiryō Collection 0511-C63

This is a work depicting the scenery of Goten-yama, a famous sakura(cherry blossom) spot in the Edo period (located in the present day Kita-shinagawa, Shinagawa Ward). The transplanting of Sakura(cherry blossoms) to Goten-yama is said to be from the Kanbun period (1661-1673).


It is said that the origin of Goten-yama's name was based on the mansion built by Ōta Dōkan, or else on the Shinagawa palace built by Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was used as a resting place where falconry was enjoyed for successive Shoguns and also as a place where the Shogun's retainers could be invited for tea.
ther than Goten-yama which is often held up as one of the five major sakura(cherry blossom) spots beloved by Edokko, there are the other four spots which are the Sumida river bank, Uenoyama, Asuka-yama in Ōji and Koganei in the outskirts. The special feature of the sakura(cherry blossom) spots in the Edo period was that they were not created by nature but they were artificially created by tree planting. That is not to say there was nothing there before – they were recreation areas that became sakura(cherry blossom) spots as part of their maintenance.

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