The sanctuary of Akiba in Ukate by Utagawa Hiroshige

The sanctuary of Akiba in Ukate by Utagawa Hiroshige

Hiroshige depicted the territory of the sanctuary Akiba-digongensya in the village of Ukietimura. It was built on the donation of the lime Honda in 1702. The shrine is dedicated to the fire god Akiba-Daigongen. In the main building of the sanctuary – Sinden – a statue of this deity guarding from fire was installed. To the west of Sinden there was a picturesque pond, and it was represented by Hiroshige.

These places were a popular vacation spot for townspeople. In all seasons they were beautiful in their own way. In the spring plums blossomed here, in the summer azaleas and irises. In the autumn the scarlet and yellow leaves of the maples were dazzling. In front of the gate of the sanctuary were many restaurants that were famous for their dishes of carp. The most famous were Aacity and Mu-Sasiya. One of these restaurants is depicted in the lower left corner, on its veranda is a shaved monk sketching. Perhaps this is a self-portrait of Hiroshige. It is known that a year before the creation of this engraving he took monasticism, also many Hiroshige albums with sketches made from nature were preserved.

In the late engraving the color of the red leaves of the maples almost did not change and the richness of the color scale, and almost corresponds to the author’s intention. In the early same sheet, other dyes were used, and eventually their decomposition took place.

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