The accompanying wood-block print is a panoramic view of Shibuya about 180 years ago, seen from the top of Dogenzaka hill.
A traveler stands by a beautiful pine tree in the foreground, looking back on the path he has traveled, including Fujimizaka hill, depicted in the distance (top left). Fujimizaka, now Miyamasuzaka, has clusters of houses, indicating a village. Along the village's right-hand perimeter, the Shibuya river zigzags toward undulating hills in the top center, where Konno Hachiman-gu shrine is located on the site of the medieval fortress of the Shibuya clan (see this column Oct. 7, 2005).
From the bottom of Fujimizaka, a winding path leads toward the picture's center, ascending into the wooded hill of Dogenzaka. (The horizontal lines dividing the hill, which resemble haze, are a traditional technique of Japanese painting.) The forlorn landscape was once the haunt of a highway robber. Called Owada Dogen, he was a wretched fugitive from a battle in 1526 that marked the demise of the Shibuya clan. Probably arousing sympathy from local villagers, he was commemorated, and the hill was named in his honor.