Eight Views of Edo Suburbs: Fishing Boats Returning to Gyôtoku
Utagawa Hiroshige
Description
Salt was an important commodity during the Edo period. It was used in a number of rituals and as a method of purification. One of the most important uses of salt was
in the preservation of food, in particular fish. The long, flat, hard-packed beaches at Gyôtoku were one of the few places around the capital suitable for harvesting this precious resource. The salt piles and boiling houses associated with this industry are depicted here.
Gyôtoku was also the final destination for many ferry boats that ran along an extensive network of canals. In the foreground of this print, one such boat carries passengers. A boatman steers using the large rudder located in the back of the boat. Long bamboo poles were also used to pilot watashi-bune through shallow waters.
exhibited summer 2010
Subject Matter:
Salt was an important commodity during the Edo period. It was used in a number of rituals and as a method of purification: to this day salt is used to purify the sumo ring before the beginning of a match. One of the most important uses of salt was in the preservation of food, in particular fish. In Edo the price of salt was high, as the long, flat, hard-packed beaches at Gyôtoku were one of the only places in the area suitable for harvesting this precious resource.
The pyramid shaped hills in the background of this print are those of the boiling houses and salt piles of Gyôtoku’s unique industry. Gyôtoku was also the final destination for many ferry boats that ran along the network of Edo canals. One such boat, or watashi-bune, carries passengers in the foreground of this picture. It was typical for two shipmen to pilot these ferries. In this print one steers using the large rudder located in the back of the boat. Long bamboo poles were also used to pilot watashi-bune through shallow waters.
Physical Description:
The pyramid shaped hills in the background of this print are those of the boiling houses and salt piles of Gyôtoku’s salt industry. A ferry boat, or watashi-bune, carries passengers in the foreground of this picture. In this print a shipman steers using the large rudder located in the back of the boat.
Usage Rights:
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