The Woodblock Prints of Utagawa Hiroshige
Watanabe: Catalogue of the Memorial Exhibition
The stone monument for Hiroshige is to be found in the inner garden of the Togakuji Temple
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belonging to the Zen Sect at Kita-Matsuyamacho, Asakusa, the family temple for the house of Ando.
At the northern corner of the garden over a little pond, there stands the stone by two hemp-palm trees twined round by ivies.
Thus the scene is at once lonely and inspiring. At the middle of the stone, there are inscribed with large
characters of the reisho style Ryusai-Hiroshige-no-Haka
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(Tombstone for Ryusai-Hiroshige), on the left downward with smaller characters of the sosho style
Ando-Yayeko Koreo Tatsu
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(Erected by Mrs. Ando-Yaye) and on the left side of the latter inscription added another legend Shimizu-Seifu-Sho
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(Brushed by Shimizu-Seifu) (See Illustration). On the lack, there are the following two separate inscriptions represented
by the characters of the kaisho style.
Issei-Genkōin-Tokuo-Ryusaikoji
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(Post-humous Buddhist name of Hiroshige I) Sept. 6, the fifth year of Ansei (1858).
Nisei-Koryuin-Kigai-Ryusai Shinshi
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(Post-humours Buddhist name of Hiroshige II). March 28, the twenty-seventh year of Meiji (1894).
This is Hiroshige's daughter's second husband to whom she married after discontinuing her conjugal relations wither
her first husband Shigenobu or Hiroshige II. So he is in reality Hiroshige III though be is Hiroshige lI
according to the lineage.
Formerly the stone stood just inside the temple gate. In the summer of 1916, it was removed to the present
place from the necessity of reducing the temple yeard. Simultaneously with this, a tomb stone for the
House of Ando that had stood in the grave yard was removed. It bore the post-humous buddhist names of Hiroshige
himself, his parents and wife. The stone monument whose picture is reproduced
below is the only remnant still standing in the temple yard.
This stone monument was erected by Hiroshige III in April, 1882. On the face of the monument there
is an inscription of Hiroshige's death-song and downwards there is engraven on side view of Hiroshige
of old age writing a polm on a panel.
The above illustration shows the Akiba shrine Mukojima in the yard of which there stands Hiroshige's monument.
Scene of Kūya-Nembutsu
(entertainment according to Buddhist rites) performed at 3 p.m. on September 6,
the both anniversary of the death of Hiroshige.
Partial view of the Interior of the Exhibition Hall on the morning of the opening day. The left wall is first in order.