Kinokuni Hill and Distant View of Akasaka Tameike, No. 85 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

The forward guard of a procession of samurai comes strutting up Kinokuni Hill with the Akasaka district in the distance. He wears a stern expression, intent on balancing in the palm of his hand a tufted standard that he would from time to time twirl and toss in the air. Some commentators have faulted Hiroshige for the downhill appearance of this uphill slope, but he is merely setting the stage for the performers. The figures probably belong to one side of a double-file procession, marching in a rhythmic goose step that is only hinted at by their tense posture.