Publisher's notes from the original pamphlet:

Topographically this design is a rather accurate depiction of the scenery in front of the Hommon Temple at Ikegami. The artistic means were simple,and yet Hiroshige has managed to convey the atmosphere of twilight and the solemnity of the vesper bell very effectively. The color scheme is fairly simple and is dominated by shades of black, grey and light blue-grey.

The first poem, by Shunkutei Noriyasu, reads The great saint Nichiren entered Nirvana at Hommonji when the vesper bell sounded at Ikegami. The second poem, by Sakanoe Kisanji (a name indicating that the possessor was a great drinker), is ostensibly a rather pious statement, but was probably written tongue-in-cheek: Oh, the blessing of it! To be able to forget all the desires of this world in the venerable twilight at Ikegami Temple. The third poem, by Fugetsuan (a name implying that the author was a lover of nature), calls attention to the reverberation of the vesper bell which causes a quivering of the lotus-leaves on Ikegami pond.