Oct 15, 2012

86景 紀の国坂赤坂溜池遠景 View 86 Kinokuni-zaka slope, Akasaka, Tameike in the Distance

タイトルに溜池遠景とありますが、溜池はここには描かれていません。溜池は、小さな家が立ち並ぶ赤坂の町の後ろになります。

Though the title says "Tameike in the distance," Tameike is not in this print.
(Tameike is a big water reservoir in the Edo period.)
It is behind those small houses of Akasaka.

描かれているのは江戸城外堀の一部弁慶掘です。

What we see in the print is Benkei-bori moat, a part of the outer moat of the Edo Castle.

弁慶掘は今もあります。ニューオータニの外側ですね。

Benkei-bori moat is still there, surrounding the Hotel New Otani area.  
  

水草が繁茂しすぎです。 a lot of waterweed  (T_T)
紀の国坂も堀にそって今もちゃんとあります。

Kinokuni-zaka slope is along the moat.

紀の国坂 Kinokuni-zaka slope
広重は2列のはずの大名行列の一列のみを画面に描きました。前後に長い槍を持った供がいますね。大名行列にはいろいろ決まりごとがあって、4本もの槍を持つことを許されていたのは徳川御三家のみだったとか。ということで、江戸の人がこの絵を見れば、この行列が紀の国坂沿いに広大な屋敷を持つ紀州公のものであったとわかったようです。(そもそも紀の国坂という名前も紀伊家の屋敷があったことからそう呼ばれていたわけですが。)

Hiroshige depicted feudal lord's procession in the print, but only half of it (they always proceeded in twos).
A man in the front is carrying a long decorated spear.  We see another spear in the far back.  It means there are four spears in this procession, and it was only allowed for the three top Tokugawa-related families. 
When Edo people saw this print, they could quite naturally imagine this was the procession of the lord Kii, who had his vast residence right by the Kinokuni-zaka Slope.  
(In fact Kinokuni-zaka slope was named after Kii. 紀の国=紀伊の国=Kii's country.)

明治になって、その広大な敷地は赤坂御所となりました。
今、その一部が迎賓館になっています。


After Meiji restoration, their vast land became Akasaka Palace, a part of which is now the State Guest House.

迎賓館に行ってみました♪

Though I was not invited, I went to see it anyway. 
迎賓館正門 a gorgeous white gate of the State Guest House
なんだかとっても豪華ですね!
門の間から写真を撮ってみると…。

There was a guard.  But I put my camera between the white bars and took this photo!

広~い!松林の向こうに迎賓館が見えました。1909年東宮御所として贅を尽くして建てられたネオバロック様式の洋風建築です。
戦後1974年に迎賓館として利用されるようになりました。

It is so big!  The neo-baroque building behind the big front yard was built in 1909, first as a Crown Prince's palace.
In 1974, it became the State Guest House.

よかったら内閣府のホームページを見てみてください。本当に豪華です!年に一度の公開日には、事前予約が必要でちょっと大変そうですが、なんと11月1~3日10時から15時半まで誰でもそのお庭を見学することができるそうですよ。
ぜひ行ってみたいと思っています。


If you like, you can see how beautiful it is at their website (but sorry, in Japanese). 
If you want to visit the building, you have to apply for their once-a -year open days.  But I learned that anyone can visit their garden (just garden) this November 1-3, from 10:00 to 15:30.
I'm hoping I can go.

ところで私がこの散歩に行ったのは今月の初め。ちょうどマレーシア国王夫妻が日本を訪問されていたようで、両国の国旗があちこちにはためいていました。

By the way, I was there early this month and the King and Queen of Malaysia were visiting Japan.  I saw these flags everywhere.

これは東門。紀伊家の建物の一部を移築したそうです。

This is the East Gate.
It is a remnant from the days of Feudal Lord Kii. 

菊の紋章 Chrysanthemum, the Imperial crest
さすがにあたりは高い塀で囲まれていました。

The area is surrounded by high walls.

紀の国坂 Kinokuni-zaka slope
さて、それでは広重の絵に戻りましょう。
弁天掘のところから赤坂の町のほうを眺めてみると…。

OK, back to Hiroshige.
I stood right by the Benten-bori moat and looked toward the city of Akasaka.



ああっ!まずこの水草をなんとかしなきゃですね。
頭上の首都高もなかなかにぎやかでした。((+_+))

Sigh.   They really need to clean the waterweed!
And the highway above sounded very noisy.
((+_+))

さて、ところでいろいろ調べていたときに、堀に立てられた看板についてのある考察を読みました。
真偽のほどはわかりませんが、「つり禁止」の看板だと。

もしそうなら、この弁天橋横の釣り堀は昔なら大問題だったでしょうね。

By the way, I read some discussions about the sign by the moat.
Some said it is probably a "No fishing" sign.

Though I don't know if it is true or not, it amused me.
Now, they have this fishing place right by the Benten Bridge.



あまりきれいともいえないんですが、若者がふたりのんびりと釣り糸を垂れていましたよ。

Not pretty looking, but two young men were fishing leisurely.

にほんブログ村 英語ブログ 国際交流へ

10 comments:

Rurousha said...

You weren't invited but you went anyway and then you trespassed on their territory with your camera?! :D I grinned when I read that. Illegal breaking and entering!

I've never been in that area. That palace is MASSIVE and very European. What kind of guests stay there? Royalty, like the King and Queen of Malaysia? So can I pretend to be the Empress of Africa and then ...

Lord Kii? He's from the Kii Peninsula (紀伊半島)? Where I want to go on many pilgrimages? ^^

Tall Gary said...

I love your information about how from the four “tufted standards” (quote from Henry Smith) and the location, you can tell whose procession this likely is. I am impressed. It sounds like the standard bearers went through a performance much like what we can see today with matoi.

The “No Fishing” sign indicates that fishing has always been popular here. Even down to today.

We can see the kanji for Kii Province 紀伊國 in Rurousha’s favorite Books Kinokuniya 紀伊國屋書店。

When I first saw the State Guest House my eyes widened and my head tilted in disbelief. I was on a walk from Takeshiba Pier to Suginami-ward. (I had just spent the weekend on Ōshima [the island home of the Dancing Girl of Izu] and just didn’t want to get into a crowded train or subway. It took about five hours to get home but I often walk that much when I travel and sightsee, so maybe it wasn’t so bad. For Rurousha, I suspect, it wouldn’t be anything at all). I never thought it would be possible for me to view more of the grounds or the interior of the State Guest House, so I feel it is a great privilege and honor that you supplied that wonderful link.

Perhaps in another 150 years someone will try to re-construct views in your photos; a descendant of yours even. What changes will Tokyo have gone through by then?

Merry Witch said...

Rurousha,
That palace is really European. I can see how hard they tried to catch up with western countries.

State guests, such as royalty and president of a country stays there. And yes, why not, the Empress of Africa? (^o^)

Kii(紀伊) was a very powerful lord that governed 紀伊の国 (Wakayama prefecture today). The famous 8th Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune is from this family.

And yes, it's in 紀伊半島. I hope I can go there, too.



Merry Witch said...

Tall Gary,
So the standard bearers did such performance? That's very interesting! Thank YOU for that wonderful link!

You walked from Takeshiba to Suginami?\(◎o◎)/!
You can walk!!!

Rurousha said...

"For Rurousha, I suspect, it wouldn't be anything at all." Walking for five hours, no problem.

Breaking and entering illegally, like Merry Witch did, also no problem! :D

Kii is in my favourite bookstore's name and it's the home of the Kumano Kodō? I like this Kii guy. ^^

Thanks to both of you for all this great information!

Tall Gary said...

Yes, that was quite a walk, but I loved being in the open air and able to breath freely. However, now that I have looked at a map more closely I realize I was mistaken. I must have passed on foot the State Guest House when I walked home from Ginza. It took, via my slightly confused route, only about three and a half hours.

To quote Henry D. Smith: “The lead figures were particularly known for their performance skills. They adroitly balanced their tufted standards in the cup of the palm, as we see here, and engaged from time to time in displays that involved twirling and tossing these standards in the air.”

The standard bearers must have also had the spectators in the palm of their hands.

Merry Witch said...

Rurousha,
You like this Kii guy? You won't be invited to the State Guest House if you call the lord Kii guy.(^_-)

Merry Witch said...

Tall Gary,
I got confused...To have someone eating out their hand= To have someone in the palm of their hands? Isn't this confusing?

This poor brain can take only one idiom a day. (T_T)

I'm going to get Henry D. Smith book. It will help me find the right words.

Minoru Saito said...

こんばんは。ようやくゆっくりこのブログを見る事が出来ました。
 家に積んでおいた本も喜んでいると思います。
 色々教えていただいて嬉しいです。
赤坂、桐畑は私の本と異なる浮世絵でした。 

Merry Witch said...

Minoru Saitoさま
赤坂桐畑はもう一枚あります。実は上の「赤坂桐畑雨中夕けい」は広重2世が書いたものなんです。小学館の「名所江戸百景」では48景が「赤坂桐畑」49景が「赤坂桐畑雨中夕けい」になっています。ややこしいですね。