In the foreground is the shore of the Yamashita Quarter, inhabited by merchants and artisans. On the other side of the canal in the Sakurada area was the Hibiya area in the Sakurada area with daimyo estates. These lands were in bulk. One of the most famous homesteads is depicted Hiroshige, it is the residence of kamiyasik Matsudaira Hizen-no kami – the rulers of the Saga province.
The red gates of the daimyo manor house with security booths testify to the high position of the owner. In front of the gate there is a traditional New Year decoration – pines. Hiroshige portrays New Year’s games of the townspeople: playing a shuttlecock, represented in engraving with painted plaques and a shuttlecock in the sky, and hovering kites. This was one of the favorite entertainment in the neighborhoods of ordinary citizens, and in the estates of the Daimyo.
The snakes were decorated with images of samurai, as air battles were played in the sky. One of these fights can be seen in the background. Hiroshige uses a vivid contrast between the near and far plans. In the later version of the engraving the artist uses more intense colors of the landscape, framing the edges of the canal with a dark blue stripe. This coloristic solution makes the sheet more picturesque and decorative.
(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)