Territory of the Sanctuary of Tenjin in Kameyido by Utagawa Hiroshige

Territory of the Sanctuary of Tenjin in Kameyido by Utagawa Hiroshige

In 1646, the monk of Otorii Nobusuke cut out the image of Sugawara no Mitizane, from the sacred tree of the quinai plum and built a chapel in which he installed the statue in the village of Kameido. Thus, the beginning of the Sanctuary of Tenjin in Kamedo was laid. It was dedicated to Sugawara no Mitizane-the minister and poet of the Heian period, exiled to Kyushu, where he died, and deified after death, as the patron of scholars and students, and also as Thunder God. He was buried in the temple of Dadzaifu Tenman-gu, not far from Fukuoka, so the sanctuary of Tenjin is also called Eastern Dadzaifu.

The entire first plan of engraving is taken by Wistaria – a flower symbolizing summer. But most of all, these places were known for the flowering of wisteria. On the territory of the temple was a pond and two paired bridges, one stone, the other – wooden. Because of their shape, they learned the name of Tycho-bassi. Wooden was considered male, stone – female. Hiro-shige portrayed a wooden bridge – somewhat exaggerating its dimensions.

The color of the later version of the engraving acquires a more decorative character. The sky, the visible floor of a round bridge, is painted in a dark blue color, it does not match the color of the sky behind the bridge, as in the initial version. The dark blue bar at the top turns into red.

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