One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Nippori, Suwa Bluff
Painted by Utagawa Hiroshige I 1856 (Ansei 3) Tokyo Shiryō Collection 0521-C39

This depicts the precincts of the Suwa Shrine, the paddy fields at the base of a cliff in Nishi-Nippori in Arakawa Ward, and Mt. Tsukuba seen in the distance. The Suwa bluff is an elevated area around the Suwa Shrine, and this area is said to have become very crowded with the sakura (cherry blossom) viewers in March as it was a famous spot for Yae-zakura (the double-flowered sakura) where hordes of people enjoyed participating in "Kawarake-nage" (earthenware throwing) by throwing earthenware such as unglazed potteries, sun-dried earthen vessels while making a wish to ward off the evil.


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