42 Miya Festival of the Atsuta Shrine

Описание: https://axera.org/to53/

For more information, please click here.
Ukiyoe of the Fifty-three Stages of the Tokaido drawn by Hiroshige Utagawa, I researched the view from where it was seen and actually went there. The route to the places depicted together with explanations of the history and topography of the area are also included in the book.

Click here to view the 100 Famous Places Edo.
Japanese version
https://www.axera.co.jp/edo100/index....
English version
https://www.axera.co.jp/edo100views/i...

Fifty-three Stages of the Tokaido
Miya
Festival of the Atsuta Shrine
Hoeido edition, painting by Utagawa Hiroshige
The British Museum Collection

This work depicts the Shinto ritual known as Tango no Hashiriuma―the “Running Horses of the Fifth Month”―as it was performed in May at Atsuta Shrine, seen through the seaside torii gate known as the Hama-torii.

Let us begin by tracing the journey along the Tokaido Road.
The distance from Narumi-juku to Miya-juku is approximately six kilometers―a walk that even today takes about an hour and a half at a leisurely pace.

Leaving Narumi-juku and heading north, one arrives at Tange-cho. Here stands a stone lantern belonging to Akiha Shrine, marking what was once the official western boundary of Narumi-juku.

Crossing the Tenpaku River and turning slightly to the right, one encounters the Kasadera ichirizuka, a milestone mound that still survives in fine condition today.
Kasadera is well known for Kasadera Kannon, a temple with a history of some 1,300 years and close ties to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

From there, the Tokaido continues north alongside the Meitetsu railway line, crosses the Yamazaki River, and passes beneath the Nagoya Expressway at Matsuda Bridge.

Proceeding parallel to National Route 1, the road then crosses the Tokaido Line and the Meitetsu Tokoname Line, where the ichirizuka of Denma-cho appears on the right. This site, too, has been carefully restored and is accompanied by explanatory signage.

Eventually, the Tokaido comes to what appears to be a dead end.
Just before this point, on the right, once stood Kamichigama Shrine. Although it has since been relocated to Atsuta Shrine, it was long beloved by the local community and known for the New Year’s Ebisu festivities.
This junction also served as a oiwake, or crossroads.
Turning right leads past Atsuta Shrine and onto the Mino Road. The Mino Road branches off near Kanayama into the Saya-Kaido, continuing via the 3ri Ferry Crossing to Saya-juku, and further dividing near Nagoya Castle into the Kiso Road and the Zenkoji Road.
Turning left at the junction, one passes the site depicted by Utagawa Hiroshige and, in less than a kilometer, arrives at the port of the 7ri Ferry Crossing.

In the Edo period, this was an important ferry terminal for crossing the sea. Today, the area has been converted into a park, where a stone lantern and a time bell have been reconstructed. The Hama-torii gate depicted by Hiroshige, however, no longer exists.

In fact, there are three sources believed to have informed Hiroshige’s depiction of this scene.
The first is the Tokaido Meisho Zue, which presents a wide view extending from the 7ri Ferry Crossing to Atsuta Shrine. The torii gate visible in the lower right is the Hama-torii gate.

If we overlay the route of the ritual with a yellow dashed line and Hiroshige’s viewpoint with a red gradient, the composition becomes clearer.

The second source is the Owari Meisho Zue, which shows a closer, seaward view of the 7ri Ferry Crossing.

Applying the same overlays here makes the spatial relationship even easier to understand.

The third is the illustration titled "Tango Uma no Tou" from volume three of the Owari Meisho Zue.
This depicts a festival known as Uma no Tou, or the Horse-Chasing Festival, practiced in the Owari and Mikawa regions. At Atsuta Shrine, it was held on the Fifth Day Festival, where the powerful galloping of horses was offered in prayer for rain, communal safety, and a bountiful harvest.

Let us now return to the map to examine the actual geography.
The present-day shoreline differs greatly from that of the Edo period, so historical materials have been used to reconstruct the former waterscape.

The green rectangle in the water indicates the East Hama Palace, the green circle marks the West Hama Palace, and the light-blue circle shows the position of the Hama-torii gate.
Hiroshige’s viewpoint is indicated by a red gradient.

The yellow circle denotes the location of the honjin.
This area functioned as the temple town of Atsuta Shrine and a major hub for pilgrims traveling to Ise. By 1843, Miya-juku contained 250 establishments including honjin, waki-honjin, and lodging houses, with some 3,000 households and a population exceeding 10,000―making it one of the largest post towns along the Tokaido.