The Suidō Bridge and Surugadai (Suidōbashi Surugadai), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

No. 48 (summer section) on the title page for the series. In this series of prints produced at the end of his career, Hiroshige, the renowned pioneer of landscape art in the ukiyo-e genre, explores relations between the natural world and human activity in and around Edo (modern Tokyo). Here we see koinobori, the carp-shaped wind socks typically flown to celebrate Tango no sekku, a traditional event now celebrated on May 5th as the national holiday Children’s Day. Taking up a large part of the foreground, the nearest koinobori in this print boldly dominates the view of Edo, rising above Mount Fuji in the distance. Two others fly in the middle ground. Such wind socks are made by drawing carp patterns on paper, cloth, or other fabric. Landscapes across Japan are filled with koinobori from April to early May in the hope that children (traditionally young boys) will grow up healthy, strong, and successful. The carp is a symbol frequently associated with masculinity in East Asian art, serving as a metaphor for the dragon, a source of energy and strength.