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The idea of meisho, or famous places, throughout Japan (in this case, throughout Edo) has a long tradition in Japanese history and was often depicted in paintings, woodblock prints, and travel guide books. Here we have it converted into a board game generically known as sugoroku, in which players roll a die to move from place to place. The places are marked with red cartouches, the large one in the center being Nihonbashi, the "Bridge of Japan" and a symbolic center of the country. Click on it for a view. Straight down (northeast) from Nihonbashi is Ryôgoku Bridge. Follow the Sumida River to the right (northerly) to reach the yellowish road on the left bank near the edge of the board, which leads to the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters. Edo Castle and part of the area for daimyô mansions are obscured by stylized clouds. With the absence of the castle tower after 1657, Mt. Fuji, another important cultural and spiritual center in Japan, became the visual focus on the Edo's horizon. Here we see its elegant form and looming presence stylized and exaggerated among the distant clouds. |
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