The Upper Reaches of the Tama Water Supply Flowing through the Koganei Embankment

Catalog note / 解説

This <i>uchiwa-e</i> (rigid fan print) design by Hiroshige shows the upper reaches of the Tama River Water Supply at Koganei, some 20 kilometres from where it flowed through the western part of Edo and went below ground at the Yotsuya Barrier. Large and ancient cherry trees blossom along both sides of the watercourse, and Mount Fuji rises in the south-west above the reddening horizon. A woman, captivated by the evening view, sits on a bench with a towel thrown over her shoulder and sips from a cup she has filled from the flask beside her. The Tama River Water Supply had a total length of nearly 50 kilometres and was constructed in the mid-17th century to supplement the Kanda Water Supply fu…