The Sumiyoshi Shrine Festival on Tsukudajima (Tsukudajima Sumiyoshi no matsuri), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

No. 55 (summer section) on the title page for the series. Although not seen as frequently as it is in China, seal script in traditional Japan appeared in special circumstances, often related to religious subjects. In this 19th century print it appears on a shrine banner during a festival.

One Hundred Views of Famous Places in Edo was the last series produced by Hiroshige I, and was completed posthumously by his successor, Hiroshige II. The views of Edo, the city known today as Tokyo, are divided into four seasonal groups, and include famous sights, locations, and everyday activities of the townspeople during those seasons.

This print shows a summer festival at the Sumiyoshi Shrine on the island of Tsukudajima in Edo Bay. It was held every three years, and involved a festive procession in which three mikoshi 神輿, or portable shrines, were carried to the sea and dipped in to ensure protection for the fishermen who lived on the island. The procession can be seen in the background. The banner in the foreground reads Sumiyoshi Daimyōjin 住吉大明神, a collective name for the deities enshrined at the site.