Ryogoku Ekoin and Moto-Yanagi Bridge

A tall tower of lashed logs rises at left, with a gohei decoration, curtains and a drum at its top. Below, roofs of houses and trees appear, and beyond them sailboats and roofed boats pass on the Sumida River. On the far bank can be seen the area around Moto-Yanagi Bridge thick with willows, and snow-capped Fuji rises in the distance.

The red logs of the tower run vertically down the left side of the picture, creating a strong contrast with the white Fuji and the blue river. The viewpoint looks down from the height of the tower, taking in river, townscape and mountains in a wide sweep.

Ekoin was a temple founded to console the victims of the Great Fire of Meireki, and in the later Edo period benefit sumo tournaments came to be held on its grounds. The drum on the tower announced the start of a tournament to the town and is said to have been audible across the river.

This is the fifth print of the Spring section. Conveying the excitement of a tournament through the tower alone, without showing a bout, is an example of the elliptical approach common in this series. The censor's seal dates it to the intercalary fifth month of 1857 (Ansei 4). It may also tell us that Ryogoku, damaged by the previous year's earthquake, had recovered enough to hold sumo tournaments again. The bold cropping of the tower in the foreground is among the most eye-catching compositions in the series.