Sunrise at Shinagawa

Heading off toward the back right along the highway is the rear guard of a daimyo procession. In the Nihonbashi print the head of the procession was shown, but here we see the line from behind as it departs. As the title Sunrise indicates, the low part of the sky is tinged pale pink, and it is not yet fully light.

Most of the shops along the street have their doors shut, but only the reed-screened teahouse in the foreground has hung out lanterns and opened for business. The left half of the picture is the sea, with large white-sailed ships and boats anchored offshore. The steep slope on the right is the rise known as Yatsuyama, and together the sea and cliff show how the post station stretched along a narrow strip of land between them.

Shinagawa was the first post station after leaving Nihonbashi, and it also prospered as a pleasure quarter. The coastline and Yatsuyama depicted here can no longer be seen today because of later land reclamation and development.

At the lower right, a stake marking the entrance to the post station stands, and the road curves gently inland from there. The deep indigo of the sea blends softly with the pale colors of the sky, conveying the quiet air of early morning. The red of the teahouse lanterns provides a small accent within it.