Inside Akiba Shrine, Ukeji (Ukeji Akiba no keidai), Number 91 from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei) Possibly 1857 - 1858

Editor: Hiroshige's woodblock print, "Inside Akiba Shrine, Ukeji," is so striking with its bold colors and flat perspective. It almost feels like looking into a miniature world. What strikes you most about it? Curator: I'm drawn to the way Hiroshige uses this "miniature world" to depict the public's relationship with nature and sacred spaces in Edo. The shrine isn't monumental; it's nestled into the landscape, implying a harmonious co-existence. What do you think that suggests about the values of the time? Editor: Maybe it shows a desire for balance and reverence in everyday life? I hadn't thought about that aspect. Curator: Exactly! And the deliberate framing—the vantage point, the stylized trees—these are choices that reflect how the artist, and perhaps the society, wanted to perceive and present their world. It makes you wonder about the politics of landscape, doesn't it? Editor: Definitely. I'll never look at a landscape print the same way again.