Ukiyo-e Poster A Visual Journey Through Japan's Iconic Landscapes - Hiroshige's Zōjō-ji Temple Pagoda and Akabane

"Zōjō-ji Temple Pagoda and Akabane" (original title: 増上寺塔赤羽根) is a woodblock print by the Japanese painter and illustrator Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) produced in January 1857.

Once again, an aerial view dominated by the imposing presence of the pagoda that occupies the entire right side, painted in the usual red color of temples. If the pagoda was once the tallest building in the area, it is now surrounded by skyscrapers. The Zōjō-ji temple, which belongs to the Jōdo shinshū Buddhist sect (淨土眞宗, "True Pure Land School"), was founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu. It is located southwest of the city, near the Tōkaidō, the path leading to Kyoto, so it attracts many travelers. In Hiroshige's time, the community numbered 3,000 monks. At the foot of the pagoda flows the Akabanegawa River, spanned by a bridge that leads to a wide yellow walkway. The long building in the background is the residence of daimyo Arima of Kurume Domain in Kyūshū, whose tall watchtower, the tallest in Edo, rises into the horizon on the left side.