View of Konodai and the Tone River

At left a tall green cliff rises sheer, with pines and red-turned trees growing on top and several people viewing the scenery. Below the cliff a river flows broadly, with several ships under white sails going up and down. Fields and woods spread out on the far bank, and beyond the horizon a white Mount Fuji rises.

The green of the cliff, the light blue of the river, and the pink sky of sunset make a refreshing autumn scene. The large cliff at left divides the picture, showing the broad river and distant view at right.

Konodai is a plateau where the provincial capital of Shimosa was placed in ancient times, and was the setting of the Battle of Kokufudai, fought between the Hojo and Satomi in the Sengoku period. In the Edo period it was a scenic spot overlooking the river and Fuji, and many people visited from Edo. The Tone River of the title was the name used at the time for what is now the Edo River.

It is one of the three prints depicting famous places in Chiba and an early print of the fifth month of Ansei 3. The composition of placing a high cliff large on one side of the picture and showing a broad view in the rest was one Hiroshige often used when depicting famous sites of mountains and cliffs.