This bird's eye view of the popular site of Nikko serves many functions. As map, postcard, and souvenir, the image teaches the viewer about the configuration of Nikko and about the history and traditions of the shrine and the mausoleum of the sixteenth-century shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The sleeping cat in the central cartouche is an illustration of a famous wood carving at Nikko. Showing a cat fallin g asleep in the sunlight, it is meant to stand for Nikko itself, as the name of the locality means "sunlight."
Accession Number
C00.1755.051
Format
prints
Culture
Japanese (culture or style)
Genre
Cityscapes (representations)
Origin Information
Nikko, Tochigi, Japan
Date
ca. 1868
Physical Description
1 print ; sheet 10 3/4 x 15 1/2 in. (27.3 x 39.3 cm)
Several versions of this composite view of Nikko Tōshōgu exist. Other versions have different views in the cartouche sections above the lower procesion band.