Japanese Poster Paying Homage to the Ephemerality of Japanese Nature - Hiroshige's Pine Tree for Hanging a Suit of Armor

"The 'Pine Tree for Hanging Armor' and the Slope of Hakkeizaka" (original title: 八景坂鎧掛松) is a woodblock print by the Japanese painter and illustrator Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) produced in May 1856.

Hakkeizaka ("Eight Views Coast") is a famous hill on Edo Bay, from which eight beautiful panoramas of the surrounding countryside can be seen. The name comes from the "Eight Views of Xiaoxiang" (Hakkei shosho in Japanese), a famous Chinese poetic theme introduced in the 14th century and used as an iconographic basis for the depiction of picturesque landscapes. On the hill stands a pine tree of a strange shape: according to legend, the warrior Minamoto no Yoshiie hung his armor on this tree before submitting to a rival clan in Mutsu Province (present-day Aomori Prefecture). Hiroshige adapted the shape of the tree so that only a giant could have hung his armor on it, while painting it more delicately than in reality. The pine tree dominates the central part of the composition, while several small sailboats sail across the bay. The Tōkaidō, a major road from Edo to Kyoto that runs along the coast, is used by many travelers, as seen at the bottom of the image. Beneath the pine trees, a few people contemplate the view while drinking tea or sake.