Kobayashi Kiyochika (Japan, 1847-1915) Print, oban yoko-e, from the series Tokyo meisho zue (東京名所図 ), Famous views of Tokyo, plate Asakusa tanbo Tarō Inari (浅草田甫太郎稲荷), The Tarō Inari shrine in the rice fields of Asakusa. Signed Kobayashi Kiyochika hitsu. Publisher Fukuda Kumajirō (Gusokuya). Dated the 10th day of the 1st month of Meiji 12 (1879) (Minor restorations). Size: 24.3 x 36 cm The Tarō Inari shrine was originally dedicated to the household god of the home of a shogunal government official. This deity is identified with Inari, originally the god of the harvest, as was customary in the Edo period. In 1803, the private shrine suddenly became the object of popular worship, probably due to a miracle. In this almost autobiographical print, Kiyochika recalls that his mother's recovery from cholera in 1858 gave rise to a similar cult within the Inari shrine in his own home. Reference: A similar print in the Honolulu Museum, no. 14067