Suruga Hill

Many residents of Edo (present-day Tokyo) enjoyed owning pictures of their beloved city. This scene from a series of eight views of the "Eastern Capital" (Edo) shows the hilly district of Surugadai, home of many samurai officials. One dignitary is shown walking the embankment above the Kanda River, wearing a long raincoat. His attendant rests a folded umbrella on his shoulder, and an approaching youth tilts his umbrella to shed drops of water. Surrounded by scenery that glows in the late afternoon light, all three figures gaze at a rainbow that arcs across the river valley. Local details enhance the sense of place: the Kanda aqueduct, spanning the river at one end, and the outer wall of Yushima Seido, a worship hall dedicated to Confucius, visible at the top of the hill on the right. Edo print buyers would likely have appreciated these references to the district’s weather, population, and urban landmarks.