Japanese Art Poster A Visual Journey Through Japan's Iconic Landscapes - Minami Shinagawa and the Samezu Coast by Hiroshige

"Minami Shinagawa and the Samezu Coast" (original title: 南品川鮫洲海岸) is a woodblock print by the Japanese painter and illustrator Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) produced in February 1857.

This aerial view of Edo Bay highlights the area known as Shinagawa, famous for its high-quality seaweed crops. This seaweed, which grows on trees planted by fishermen in the shallow waters in the fall, is harvested in the winter to be made into nori, sheets of seaweed used as seasoning or for sushi. At the bottom of the image, several boats take advantage of the low tide to harvest the seaweed. At the far end of the bay is the Samezu ("shark sandbar") area, where a fisherman is said to have discovered a statuette of the Bodhisattva Kannon in the belly of a shark caught in his nets. This legend led to the construction of the Kaian-ji Zen temple in the 13th century. However, the temple itself, the central feature of the site, is barely suggested by a vague silhouette, as is often the case with Hiroshige. In the background, the distinctive silhouette of Mount Tsukuba emerges, drawing the eye towards a flock of birds.