Haneda Ferry and Benten Shrine (Haneda no Watashi Benten), No. 72 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando)
The viewpoint here is that of a passenger (suggested by the parasol to the lower right) riding the ferry south from the village of Haneda. The lighthouse in the distance warns of the spit of land projecting from the left. Nestled among the trees at the end of the spit is a shrine to Benten, the goddess of water, music, and literature. Like so many boats in traditional Japan, the ferry is propelled by a single scull, or oar, about ten or twelve feet long. The scull was fitted along the shaft with a wooden socket that pivoted on a protruding ball mounted in the stern. A rope, looped around a peg on the scull, counterbalanced the weight of the blade and stabilized the rhythmic twisting action needed to manipulate it.
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