Inari Bridge and Minato Shrine, Teppōzu (Teppōzu Inaribashi Minato Jinja), Number 77 from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei) Possibly 1857

Editor: This is Utagawa Hiroshige's woodblock print, "Inari Bridge and Minato Shrine, Teppōzu," from his "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" series. I’m struck by how the composition uses these massive wooden pillars to frame this tranquil scene of daily life. What do you make of this unusual perspective? Curator: The framing is everything, isn't it? Hiroshige’s daring choice to emphasize the mundane—these presumably structural pillars—forces us to consider our own position as viewers. We are not detached observers but rather implicated within the very fabric of Edo society and its rapidly changing landscape. How does this resonate with contemporary issues of urban development and social perspective? Editor: That's fascinating. It makes me think about who is included and excluded from the picture, both then and now. Curator: Exactly. The print becomes a potent commentary on power, perspective, and the shaping of collective memory. Editor: I see it now. Thanks for pointing that out.