Dawn at Kanda Myojin Shrine

In the middle of the foreground grounds a single cedar trunk stands straight, with a Shinto priest at left, and at right a woman in white and a man holding a basket. At the right edge part of a vermilion shrine building peeks in, and beyond the railing at the back spreads the townscape below and a horizon stained red.

The sky is gradated from indigo to the red of dawn, and the deep green of leaves covers the top of the picture. The bold composition dividing the picture in two with the central cedar conveys the chill of early morning.

Kanda Myojin was a shrine regarded as the general guardian of Edo, and its biennial Kanda Festival was known as one of the Tenka Matsuri, along with the Sanno Festival. It stood on the heights of Yushima, and the view down over the town from its grounds was itself one of the famous sights. Some see the print as depicting dawn on the day of the festival.

This is the tenth print of the Spring section. With only a few figures, it concentrates on painting the air of the hour and is considered one of the most lyrical prints in the series. The censor's seal dates it to September 1857 (Ansei 4), just the month in which the Kanda Festival was held. It is thought to have been put on sale to coincide with the festival, which suggests that pictures of famous places were enjoyed together with seasonal topics.