Minami-Shinagawa and Samezu Coast, No. 109 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Samezu, the coastal area of Edo Bay south of the Shinagawa settlement, cultivated nori, a type of seaweed in which sushi is wrapped. In the autumn, long rows of tree branches stuck into the shallow waters provided a growing medium for the nori. From winter into the following spring, the seaweed would then be harvested at low tide, usually by women in small boats as we see here. The nori cultivated in Edo Bay was prized as the best in Japan, and though this particular stretch of coast has been filled in, the cultivation of the plant is still carried on in the traditional way elsewhere in the bay.