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Ueno Park, Edo (Tokyo)
von Stillfried-Ratenicz, Franz, 1881, Photograph
Ueno Park, Edo (Tokyo)
Ueno Park, Edo (Tokyo)
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Location
Category
Library Item
Item no
15149
Title
Ueno Park, Edo (Tokyo)
Description
Steep stone steps lead down to a torii gateway surrounded by tall trees. Three men (probably rickshaw pullers) dressed in blue clothes can be seen at the foot of the stairs; one of them wears a 'kasa', a large straw hat.
There are electric lanterns and telegraph poles on each side of the torii, and rickshaws are partially hidden behind the trees on the right-hand side of the picture.
In the distance lies Shinobazu Pond; the buildings of Benten Shrine stand on the island at its centre.
Artist / maker
von Stillfried-Ratenicz, Franz
Date
1881
Size
24 x 19.5 cm
Type
Photograph
Location
Art and Design Library
This item is part of a collection of prints from the studio of Baron Franz von Stillfried-Ratenicz, an Austrian photographer practising in Japan in the late 1870's. Von Stillfried ran a studio in Yokohama at the same time as his brother Raimund, who was also known as 'Baron Stillfried'. This caused a great deal of confusion with the local residents and visitors to Japan in the Meiji Period, and with art historians today.
This album, which dates from 1879-83, comprises 67 separate mounted prints presented in a lacquerware box. Albums of this kind were popular among foreign tourists, who frequently selected the individual prints they wished to include from the studio's collection. Many of these albumen prints were hand tinted. This was a laborious process for which von Stillfried employed, at the height of his success, a substantial number of Japanese workers. Contrarily to the many landscape pictures in the collection that have been left in black and white, this photograph has been hand-painted with great care and a subtle variety of colours. The painter's skill is apparent in some details such as the texture of the tree trunks that is underlined with thin lines.
A caption written at the bottom of the picture reads 'Uyeno' indicating that it was taken at Ueno Park, Edo (now Tokyo).
Ueno Park belonged at first to Kaneiji, a Buddhist temple founded in 1625. Most of the temple got destroyed during the Boshin civil War (1868-1869) and in 1873, the government's council of state ('Dajiokan') turned it into the first public park of Japan.
Ueno park was a highly popular place in the Meiji Era, busy with rickshaws and visitors admiring the famous cherry blossoms. It is said that Tenkai (1536 - 1643), the famous Buddhist priest who founded the temple, planted the first wild cherry trees there in the 17th century. In 1717, a hundred more cherry trees were planted by order of the 8th Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, and in 1883, a thousand more cherry trees of the 'someiyoshino' species were added on the banks of the pond by Okura Kihachiro, a successful entrepreneur. The place became a fashionable promenade with many temporary food stalls and teahouses.
In the background of this picture is Shinobazu Pond. Originally marshland, this area is now divided into three ponds covered with lotuses and famous for its wildlife. The torii in the centre of the picture is still standing today and the area is part of Ueno Zoo.
In the Nineteenth century, these stairs were a popular spot for photographers and another picture of the same view is known to have been taken by Kusakabe Kimbei, Raimund Von Stillfried's student.
Exhibitions with this item
Views and Costumes of China & Japan
Other views of this item
Related images
Related subjects
Architecture
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Architectural features
>
Torii
Places
>
Asia
>
Japan
Sport and leisure
>
Sports and recreation facilities
>
Parks
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