The Flower Pavilion on Dango Slope, Sendagi

A pond spreads across the foreground, and along its shore cherry trees and benches stand in a row where people enjoy the blossoms. A band of white and pink haze crosses the middle, and above it on a wooded hill two teahouse buildings with red walls stand. Stone steps climb between rock arrangements, and a small arbor can also be seen.

The composition wraps the cherry grove in haze to separate the scenery above and below. The soft color of the haze and the green of the hill and the red of the teahouses convey the splendor of the flower garden.

The Flower Pavilion on Dango Slope was a garden opened by a nursery, and its teahouse, called Shisen-tei, is said to have offered views from a height. The area from Sendagi through Yanaka to Nezu had many nurseries and was also known for attractions such as chrysanthemum dolls.

This is the sixteenth print of the Spring section. Taking up the garden of a nursery, a new excursion spot of the time, rather than a temple, shrine or historic site shows the breadth of the series. The censor's seal dates it to May 1856 (Ansei 3). Separating scenery with haze was one of Hiroshige's specialties, and here it is used to unite the flower grove and the hilltop teahouse in one picture.