The City Flourishing, Tanabata Festival (Shichû han'ei Tanabata Matsuri)

Catalog note / 解説

Recent studies indicate that this print may depict the view from Hiroshige's home. A tower seen in the distance (to the right) marks the Yayosu barracks, a fire-station established by the government. The warehouses (visible below) were owned by merchants near Kyöbashi and South Tenma, which were just west of Hiroshige's residence. In the bottom left corner, the intimate scene of a kimono hung to dry on a veranda provides further support that the view was from Hiroshige's own window. The area around his residence was severely damaged by fires resulting from the earthquake, and Hiroshige's prints may have been intended to show the impressive recovery of the town and its people. Accordingly, i…