One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) on the Banks of Tama River
Painted by Utagawa Hiroshige I 1856 (Ansei 3) Tokyo Shiryō Collection 0507-C5

This work depicts sakura (cherry blossom) trees along the Tamagawa aqueduct, which supplied water to the city of Edo. It is thought to show what is now the vicinity of the main gate of Shinjuku Imperial Garden. The sakura were removed on the orders of the shogunate government, so there never really was such a scene as depicted in the picture.


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