SYSTEM NOTICE

Auto translation by AI. Be sure, accuracy, nuances and authorial intent may not be fully reflected.

[Kyoto] Evening Cool at Shijo Bridge and Riverbank

2023年10月1日 16:22

Source: National Diet Library Digital Collections, "Miyako Meisho no Uchi"

This is a print depicting the cooling off at Shijo Bridge over the Kamo River.

At the Kamo River, the 'kawabiraki' (river opening) was held in the sixth month of the lunar calendar, and benches and platforms for cooling off were set up on sandbars and in shallow areas. The women are on a raised riverbed (kawayuka) set up in Pontocho, on the west side of the Kamo River.

In the map below, this is on the left side, just before the Shijo Bridge.

Source: National Diet Library Digital Collections, "Seiseki Zushi"
* In this map, north is to the left, and east is at the top.

Visible in the distance are the mountains of the Higashiyama Sanjuroppo (Thirty-six Peaks), and from this position, one can see Mt. Kachozan, Mt. Maruyama, Mt. Ryozen, and Mt. Otowasan (Mt. Kiyomizuyama), among others.

There are also many lanterns lined up on the far bank of the Shijo Bridge. The lanterns visible slightly to the right are the lights of the Kyoto Shijo Minamiza Theater.

📖

I will quote a description of the Shijo 'suzumi' (cooling off) from a Kyoto guidebook of the Meiji era.

When summer arrives, temporary platforms are set up along the water and on the riverbanks. Seats are arranged, lanterns are lit, and bonfires are burned, with people of all classes mingling throughout the night. This is called the 'Shijo Kawara Suzumi' (Shijo Riverbank Cooling). In the past, it was set from the night of the 7th to the 18th of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, but in recent years, the river opening is held at a convenient time at the beginning of the seventh month. There are theaters at the east end of this bridge. They are called the South Theater and the North Theater, and the two theaters face each other. This place is called Shijo Nakamachi, and the area to the east is called the Gion Shinchi, where restaurants and teahouses stand side by side. Songs rise from every door, and the sound of strings wells up from every building. It is rare to find anyone who comes here and does not lose their way in worldly pleasures. Truly, this place is the 'melting pot of gold' of Kyoto.

Source: National Diet Library Digital Collections, "Kyoto: Guide to Famous Places and Art, Volume 1"

'Shokinka' (melting pot of gold) comes from the idea of a pot that melts gold, meaning a place where people spend money lavishly and squander their wealth.

◇

According to records from Gion Shrine, the Shijo Bridge dates back to the second year of Eiji (1142). A torii gate can be seen on the Shijo Bridge built in the second year of Hotoku (1450).

Source: National Diet Library Digital Collections, "Rekidai Nengo: Illustrations"

After that, it was repeatedly washed away and rebuilt (it was washed away in 1846, 1850, 1852, and 1873, just in the late Edo period alone), and in the seventh year of Meiji (1874), it was replaced with a Western-style iron bridge.

The current Shijo Bridge was rebuilt after being washed away in 1935 and was completed in 1942.

📖

During the same period as Sadanobu Hasegawa, who drew this picture, Utagawa Sadahide of Edo depicted the Gion Festival and the scene of Shijo cooling off.

Source: National Diet Library Digital Collections, "Koto Gion Sairei Shijo Kawara no Suzumi"

Three portable shrines (mikoshi) cross Shijo Bridge from Gion Shrine toward the Otabisho (temporary resting place). The immense crowd and lively atmosphere are brilliantly depicted in a style and color palette characteristic of a student of Utagawa Kunisada.

The following descriptions are included in the painting:
- From Shijo this way, June 6th and 7th are the Gion Festival.
- The three portable shrines cross Shijo Bridge to be taken to the Otabisho.
- From Shijo this way, June 14th and 15th, the festival floats (yamaboko) are brought out as the festival town rotation changes.

Three portable shrines from Gion Shrine head toward the Otabisho
crossing Shijo Bridge

"Mizukuhashi," "Kwashimochi," and "Sushi and Sake Shop"

Toward Gojo Bridge, the sandbar is bustling with many people.

On the upstream side heading toward Sanjo Bridge,
there are large mechanical displays, sideshows, and theaters.

It is interesting how, when drawn by the Edokko (native of Edo) Sadahide, the Kyoto Gion Festival feels spirited and bold. On the other hand, the Shijo evening cool depicted by Sadanobu of Osaka is quiet and elegant, allowing one to feel the unadorned, everyday Kyoto.

The darkness of the Kyoto night is captured very well.

The relaxed obi knot and the graceful movement of the woman climbing the stairs
are beautifully and elegantly Kyoto-esque.

📖

※ Reference: National Diet Library Digital Collections "Ehon Miyako no Nishiki", "Great Exhibition Commemorating the Capital Relocation Kyoto Famous Districts Guide", "Twentieth Century Kyoto: Heaven Volume", "Ukiyo-e Art Collection Vol. 1 (Shijo Evening Cool Picture)", Wikipedia "Shijo Bridge"

Author's Note: I will update this as appropriate when I decipher new characters or notice typos/misreadings. For details, please read "About Me / Disclaimer". 📖