Koi and Wisteria at Kameido Shrine (1)

Kameido Tenjin Shrine in eastern Tokyo was famous for its wisteria trellises and the carp-filled pond beneath them, a meisho celebrated in prints by Hiroshige and later artists. Shuntei's composition likely combines a view of the arching wisteria — whose cascading purple racemes were rendered in graduated violet [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) — with the pond surface below, where koi move through reflections of the blooms. This [kacho-e](/glossary/kacho-e) element of fish and flowers within a named place situates the print at the intersection of [meisho-e](/glossary/meisho-e) and natural history subjects. The work is consistent with the Tokyo Meisho Zue series format, using seasonal bloom as both visual motif and temporal anchor, and reflects the late Meiji practice of documenting established tourist and pleasure sites.