Akasaka, in the southwestern Yamanote hills of Edo, included groves of paulownia (kiri) maintained near the residences of daimyō. The paulownia carried heraldic weight — it was associated with imperial authority and adopted as a crest by various samurai houses — and its broad heart-shaped leaves and tall lavender spring blossoms made it a prized ornamental. Hiroshige's print isolates a stand of paulownia, the leaves silhouetted in the foreground with the cleared distance receding behind. The vertical oban format suits the tree's upright growth, and the lateral spread of foliage closes the upper register of the image. The series' attention to specific botanical sites — alongside cherry, plum, and maple groves elsewhere in the One Hundred Famous Views — reflects the Edo cultural calendar of seasonal viewing excursions. Bokashi gradations carry the eye from saturated foreground greens into pale receding washes, and the Akasaka grove takes its place among the less canonical destinations included to fill out the series' geographic scope.
Color woodblock print
Color woodblock print
Color woodblock print
Color woodblock print
The Paulownia Grove at Akasaka (Akasaka Kiribatake), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)" was created by Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重).
Yes — The Paulownia Grove at Akasaka (Akasaka Kiribatake), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)" is part of the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo series (print 52 of 118) by Utagawa Hiroshige.
The Paulownia Grove at Akasaka (Akasaka Kiribatake), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)" depicts edo & tokyo, trees, and famous places (meisho-e).
