originally referred to sites in Japan famous for their associations with specific poetic or literary references. With the development of woodblock printing and newer styles of tourism during the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

, the term came to denote a wider range of places of interest.

Literary meisho

Used in conjunction with ''

utamakura is a rhetorical concept in Japanese poetry. Definition is a category of poetic words, often involving place names, that allow for greater allusions and intertextuality across Japanese poems. enables poets to express ideas and themes concisel ...

'', ''meisho'' add layers of allusion to poetry and literary and dramatic works which would not otherwise be present. Many of the most famous ''meisho'' derive from references in the Genji Monogatari,

Heike Monogatari is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). Heike () refers to the Taira (), ''hei'' being the ''on'yo ...

, and

Ise Monogatari is a Japanese ''uta monogatari'', or collection of ''waka'' poems and associated narratives, dating from the Heian period. The current version collects 125 sections, with each combining poems and prose, giving a total of 209 poems in most versions ...

. In addition to being referenced in poetry and literature, ''meisho'' very often make appearances in

Noh is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ' ...

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is though ...

, and jōruri theatre, and in

ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk t ...

and other visual art forms. One example is that of the '' miyakodori'', or "birds of the capital", originally referenced in the ''Ise monogatari''. As most ''meisho'' derive from

Heian era The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

source, this is among the very few which related to the Edo/

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

area. The protagonist of the ''monogatari'', having been exiled from

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

, finds his way to the Sumidagawa in what is today Tokyo; at a particular point in the river, he spots a particular type of

plover Plovers ( , ) are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. Description There are about 66 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subf ...

s which he has not seen before. Asking the boatman what kind of bird they are, he receives the reply that they are ''miyakodori'', "capital birds," which makes him long for the capital and weep, asking the birds what they know of events in Kyoto. This episode was later referenced in the Noh play '' Sumidagawa'', in which a woman journeys to the region seeking her kidnapped son. Her boatman does not know the name of the birds, and she reprimands him for not being more cultured and knowing that they are ''miyakodori''. Once the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

was established at Edo in 1603, this spot on the river where the birds were said to be found became a very popular site for restaurants and other forms of entertainment. Many people would stop here and ponder the poetic resonances, or just enjoy seeing a famous site, while on their way upriver to the

Yoshiwara was a famous (red-light district) in Edo, present-day Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1617, Yoshiwara was one of three licensed and well-known red-light districts created during the early 17th century by the Tokugawa shogunate, alongside Shimab ...

. The spot also appeared frequently in ''ukiyo-e'' representations of famous sites or famous restaurants in the capital. Another keen example is that of Suma shore, a beach near modern-day Kobe, where one episode of the Tale of Genji took place. The battle of Ichi-no-Tani, related in the Tale of the Heike, also took place there, and thus many of the Noh, jōruri and kabuki plays which involve that battle, such as ''

Atsumori (1169–1184) was a ''samurai'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He was a member of the Taira clan. He fought in the Genpei War against the Minamoto. Career Atsumori was a warrior during the Genpei War. He is famous for his early death at ...

'' and '' Ichi-no-tani Futaba Gunki'', make reference, either outright or silently implied, to the poetic associations of Genji's episode there.

Popularization of meisho

With the development of

woodblock printing in Japan Woodblock printing in Japan (, ''mokuhanga'') is a technique best known for its use in the ''ukiyo-e'' artistic genre of single sheets, but it was also used for printing books in the same period. Widely adopted in Japan during the Edo period (160 ...

and newer styles of tourism during the

(including

literary tourism Literary tourism is a type of cultural tourism that deals with places and events from literary texts as well as the lives of their authors. This could include visiting particular place associated with a novel or a novelist, such as a writer's home ...

), the use of the term "meisho" broadened considerably. Meisho were featured in various types of books, including travel guides as well as travelogues and regional histories, with names such as ''

Edo meisho zue is an illustrated guide describing famous places, called '' meisho'', and depicting their scenery in pre-1868 Tokyo, then known as Edo. It was printed using Japanese woodblock printing techniques in 20 books divided among seven volumes. Ini ...

'' (Illustrated famous Edo places, 1834) and '' Owari meisho zue'' (Illustrated famous Owari places). Meisho also provided a popular subject for numerous series of

ukiyoe Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk ...

prints such as the famous ''

One Hundred Famous Views of Edo ''One Hundred Famous Views of Edo'' (in ja, 名所江戸百景, Meisho Edo Hyakkei) is a series of 119 ukiyo-e prints begun and largely completed by the Japanese artist Hiroshige (1797–1858). The prints were first published in serialized form i ...

'', a late series by

Hiroshige Utagawa Hiroshige (, also ; ja, 歌川広重 ), born Andō Tokutarō (; 1797 – 12 October 1858), was a Japanese ''ukiyo-e'' artist, considered the last great master of that tradition. Hiroshige is best known for his horizontal-format l ...

completed by

Hiroshige II was a Japanese designer of ukiyo-e art. He inherited the name Hiroshige II following the death in 1858 of his master Hiroshige, whose daughter he married. In 1865 he moved from Edo to Yokohama after dissolving his marriage and began using ...

between 1856 and 1859.

Literary meisho

Popularization of meisho

See also