Suruga-cho, No. 8 in One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando)
What distinguishes Hiroshige's design in this print is its resolute symmetry, softened only by the irregular stylized cloud forms traditionally used in Japanese paintings to separate scenes in pictorial narratives. Here this compositional device focuses attention on Mount Fuji above and the urban bustle below in the street called Suruga-chō. Included in this scene is Japan's premier store, Echigoya, presently Mitsukoshi Department Store, still the most venerable of all the great merchandisers of Tokyo. It is identified by its crest, a circle around the characters for "three" and "well," which together read "Mitsui."
See this object at Brooklyn Museum Collections Online
