Horikiri Iris Garden (Horikiri no hanashôbu), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo Hyakkei) by Utagawa Hiroshige

名所江戸百景 堀切の花菖蒲
Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重)

Hiroshige sketched three iris plants in the foreground, and people strolling in the garden and a wide horizontal vista in the background. The picture representing Hiroshige’s outstanding skill in composition is very popular with foreigners.The Iris Gardens of Horikiri has been popular since the Tokugawa days. Records say irises of various colors were first planted here by farmer Izaemon during the Bunka Years (1804-18).