# Meisho > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Meisho > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Meisho.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meisho > Source revision: 1289274763 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) For the 17th century empress, see [Empress Meishō](/source/Empress_Meish%C5%8D). ***Meisho*** (名所, lit. 'famous places') originally referred to sites in [Japan](/source/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](/source/Edo_period), the term came to denote a wider range of places of interest.[1] ## Literary *meisho* Used in conjunction with *[utamakura](/source/Utamakura)*, *meisho* add layers of allusion to poetry and literary and dramatic works which would not otherwise be present.[2] Many of the most famous *meisho* derive from references in the [Genji Monogatari](/source/Genji_Monogatari), [Heike Monogatari](/source/Heike_Monogatari), and [Ise Monogatari](/source/Ise_Monogatari). In addition to being referenced in poetry and literature, *meisho* very often make appearances in [Noh](/source/Noh), [kabuki](/source/Kabuki), and [jōruri](/source/J%C5%8Druri_(music)) theatre, and in [ukiyo-e](/source/Ukiyo-e) and other visual art forms. One example is that of the *[miyakodori](/source/Miyakodori)*, or "birds of the capital", originally referenced in the *Ise monogatari*. As most *meisho* derive from [Heian era](/source/Heian_era) source, this is among the very few which related to the [Edo](/source/Edo)/[Tokyo](/source/Tokyo) area. The protagonist of the *monogatari*, having been exiled from [Kyoto](/source/Kyoto), finds his way to the [Sumidagawa](/source/Sumida_River) in what is today Tokyo; at a particular point in the river, he spots a particular type of [plovers](/source/Plover) 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](/source/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](/source/Tokugawa_shogunate) 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](/source/Yoshiwara). 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](/source/Suma-ku,_Kobe), a beach near modern-day [Kobe](/source/Kobe), where one episode of the Tale of Genji took place. The [battle of Ichi-no-Tani](/source/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](/source/Atsumori)* and *[Ichi-no-tani Futaba Gunki](/source/Ichi-no-tani_Futaba_Gunki)*, make reference, either outright or silently implied, to the poetic associations of [Genji](/source/Hikaru_Genji)'s episode there. ## Popularization of *meisho* With the development of [woodblock printing in Japan](/source/Woodblock_printing_in_Japan) and newer styles of tourism during the [Edo period](/source/Edo_period) (including [literary tourism](/source/Literary_tourism)), 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](/source/Edo_meisho_zue)* (Illustrated famous Edo places, 1834) and *[Owari meisho zue](/source/Owari_meisho_zue)* (Illustrated famous Owari places). Meisho also provided a popular subject for numerous series of [ukiyoe](/source/Ukiyoe) prints such as the famous *[One Hundred Famous Views of Edo](/source/One_Hundred_Famous_Views_of_Edo)*, a late series by [Hiroshige](/source/Hiroshige) completed by [Hiroshige II](/source/Hiroshige_II) between 1856 and 1859. ## See also - *[Meibutsu](/source/Meibutsu)* ## References 1. Kikuchi, Yuko (2007-08-01). [*Refracted Modernity: Visual Culture and Identity in Colonial Taiwan*](https://www.google.com/books/edition/Refracted_Modernity/gzIutZvuf-UC?hl=en&gbpv=0). University of Hawaii Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-8248-3050-2. 1. Fessler, Susanna (2020-06-01). [*Musashino in Tuscany: Japanese Overseas Travel Literature, 1860–1912*](https://www.google.com/books/edition/Musashino_in_Tuscany/3gH6DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0). University of Michigan Press. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-472-90197-5. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Meisho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meisho) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meisho?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.