Shinobazu Pond, from the series "Eight Views of Edo (Koto hakkei)"

From Shuncho's series Eight Views of Edo (Koto hakkei), this chuban color woodblock print at the Art Institute of Chicago depicts Shinobazu Pond at Ueno, one of the city's most celebrated scenic places. The pond, named for the Shinobu reeds that grew along its banks, was a year-round attraction for its lotus blossoms in summer, its waterfowl in winter, and the Benten shrine on its central island. By Shuncho's time it was one of the canonical meisho (famous places) of Edo and a natural inclusion in any Eight Views adaptation. The chuban format permitted the artist to issue all eight views as a coherent set at a manageable scale. Shuncho's treatment is characteristic of his approach to landscape: rather than presenting an unpopulated view, he integrates fashionable Edo figures into the foreground of the scene, locating his bijin-ga sensibility within the conventions of meisho-e (famous-place pictures).