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Utagawa Hiroshige - Series of the 69 Stations of the Kisokaido: Station Moriyama (69th print) (Moriyama)
© Trustees of the British Museum
Cherry trees in full bloom on the foothills of Mt.Mikami frame the houses lining the Yasu-gawa River. In the teahouse at the centre of the row, a kneeling waitress (1) awaits the customers while the owner is comfortably seated on a bench. The sign (2) hanging from the eaves bears the emblem of the publisher (林) while the shop on the left has a vertical sign (3) with 伊せ利 “Iseri”, the publisher’s name written on it. In the teashop on the right, a waitress (4) tries to attract trade. A peddler, a horse rider, porters and travellers walk without stopping. Two children (5) play in the street. Each house has a different style of roofing: Thatched, tiled, shingles,…
Here the print has the correct number as #68 六拾八 (6). In the first printing, Mt.Mikami is pale green. Later it becomes grey and this is the only change to the print.
(Source: The 69 stations of the Kisokaido, Sebastian Izzard, Brazillier 2008)
The Omi Plain seen from Mt.Hiei with Lake Biwa and the bridge in the foreground and Moriyama in the foothills
And now ?
This large station is located at 502km/313mi from Nihonbashi. In 1843, there were 1700 inhabitants, two honjin, one waki-honjin an 30 inns. From Kyoto, Moriyama could be reached in a day and many travellers preferred to stay there for the night avoiding Kusatsu station, very busy due to the junction with the Tokaido Road. Today Moriyama is a bustling town, as it is an important railway hub, but several old buildings are still standing, mostly near the junction to the Chosenjin-kaido or Korean road which linked Moriyama to Toriimoto (see Station Musa).
With the proximity of Kyoto and the head temples of several Buddhist schools, Moriyama had several interesting temples and shrines such as Mikami-Jinja Shrine and Tomon-in Temple mentioned in the Kiso Meisho Zue dated 1805.
Lake Biwa is here narrower and a bridge was built over it. On the other side, sacred Mt.Hiei with the famous Enryaku-ji Temple established in the 11th century as head temple of the Tendai School of Buddhism. At its strongest, Enryaku-ji Temple was a huge complex with over 3,000 temples and a strong army of warrior-monks. These warrior-monks, named “sohei” had an important political role, supporting the Taira Clan against the Minamoto Clan, who were supported by the rival temple of Mii-dera (see Station Otsu). In 1580, Oda Nobunaga attacked the temple, killing many monks and warriors and burned the temple to the ground. A new temple was rebuilt in the 16th century, but never regained its full power. Today the Enryaku-ji still yield influence over the Japanese politics. There are many temples and shrines on Mt.Hiei, clustered in three groups: Saito (west), Toto (east) and Yokawa (far end).
Lake Biwa and Mt.Hiei are the subject of many print series. The most famous is the “Eight views of Omi”. The title “Eight views of …..” comes from the Chinese tradition and is used for series on Edo (Eights views of Eastern Capital), Kyoto or the Provinces (Eight views of Musashi). Hiroshige has created over 20 series titled “Eight views of Omi”, the most famous being the one dated 1834 and published by Hoeido. Several views show the lake from Moriyama and its surroundings: Descending Geese at Katata, Evening Snow on Mount Hira, Night Rain on Karasaki, Returning Boats at Yabase. (See station Otsu for the four other prints of this series). The Mangetsu-ji Temple with its floating pavilion Ukimido on the lake shore is a favourite topic for Shin-hanga prints by Tsuchiya Koitsu, Ito Yuhan or Asano Takeji.
Hiroshige: The eight views of Omi - The first four prints (the next four prints are at page Otsu)
Andô Hiroshige - Series of the Eight Views of Omi - Evening snow on Mt.Hira (1834)
Andô Hiroshige - Series of the Eight Views of Omi - Night rain on Karasaki pine (1834)
Andô Hiroshige - Series of the Eight Views of Omi - Returning boats at Yabase (1834)
Andô Hiroshige - Series of the Eight Views of Omi - Descending geese at Kataka (1834)
Note the Ukimido Pavilion of Mangetsu-ji Temple on the left
Between Musa and Moriyama
Old houses in Moriyama
An old warehouse in Moriyama
Gate of Tomon-in Temple
Garden of Kyorinbo-ji Temple
Yokawa-chudo Hall in Enryaku-ji Temple (ca. 1600) and its superb wooden framework
Ukimido or Floating Pavilion in Mangetsu-ji Temple (rebuilt in 1937)
Sakura-mon Gate (Cherry Trees Gate) - Mikami-Jinja Shrine
The hondo or Main hall of Mikami-Jinja Shrine
Enryaku-ji Temple, Western section: Jodo-in with the grave of Saicho who established the temple
Enryaku-ji Temple, Eastern section: Kaidan-in (ca. 1600)
Enryaku-ji Temple, Western section: Shakado, hall of the sutra
Ito Yuhan - Umikido Pavilion (ca.1930)
Tsuchiya Koitsu - Umikido Pavilion (1934)
Asano Takeji - Umikido Pavilion (1953)
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