Benten Shrine in Ikenohata — 池の端弁天

A second print treating the Benten Shrine at Ikenohata (池の端弁天), this composition approaches the same Ueno-district site from a distinct vantage point or under different light conditions than the related print in the series. Kiyochika's repeated return to this location reflects both its topographical appeal — the reed-fringed shore of Shinobazu Pond offering a horizontal foreground against which light and reflection could be staged — and its cultural familiarity to Meiji-era viewers. The oban-format print likely employs gradated sky printing to establish atmospheric depth, with the shrine structure serving as a compositional anchor. Kiyochika's handling of water reflection, a hallmark of his light pictures, would translate the shrine's lantern glow or moonlight into rippled horizontal bands on the pond surface, demonstrating his synthesis of ukiyo-e printing conventions with Western tonal values.