Sumidagawa　隅田川

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

A river that flows through the eastern part of Tokyo, down to Tokyo Bay. It became a famous place, meisho 名所 due to its appearance in Episode 9 of ISE MONOGATARI 伊勢物語 (The Tales of Ise). In the chapter, the protagonist, traditionally identified as Ariwara no Narihira 在原業平 (825-80), comes across a bird called a "capital-bird" miyakodori 都鳥, and recites the following poem: na ni shiowaba /iza koto towan / miyakodori / waga omou hito wa / ari ya nashi ya to 名にしおはば　いざ言問はむ　都鳥　我思ふ人は　ありやなしやと (If you are true to the name you bear / there's one thing I would ask you / capital-bird /does the person I love / still wait for me or not? ; see *Azumakudari 東下り). The river became a popular excursion spot during the Edo period, and figured in the work of most of the major *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 artists, including Hishikawa Moronobu's 菱川師宣 (1694), and Utagawa Hiroshige's 歌川広重 (1797-1858) "Eight Views of The Sumida River" Sumidagawa Hakkei 隅田川八景. Sumidagawa is also the title of *nou 能 play by Kanze Motomasa 観世元雅 (ca. 1394-1432).

REFERENCES:

*ise monogatari-e 伊勢物語絵

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