Utagawa Hiroshige The production date:1840 The scene of changing of poters and horse at Toiya-ba is illustrated. Toiyaba was an office, located at every post station and provided porters and horses for travelers. In this picture, porters re-arrange the luggage loaded on the horses, porters ready for the departure and porters taking a break after the other porters takeovers his job are illustrated.

Utagawa Hiroshige The production date:1840 Express litter bearers and express messengers on the highway rushing on their way can be observed. The ‘stillness’ of the field beside the road where peasants are working really emphasizes the ‘dynamism’ and ‘speed’ of the express litter bearers.

Utagawa Hiroshige The production date:1840 Travelers walk on a slope of the Toukaidou Highway. The gate of Kameyama Castle is illustrated on the top of the slope. By illustrating a small mountain in the right middle background, Kameyama Castle appears to stand high on the slope.

Utagawa Hiroshige The production date:1840 The scene of a procession of samurai departs from Honjin. Honjin was the special inns or institutions that the high-rank feudal lord used as the rest stop during the journey. A curtain with the mark of lord’s family crests is arranged over honjin.

Utagawa Hiroshige The production date:1840 Surrounded by steep cliffs on both sides, travelers were coming and going the mountain track of Suzuka. Notice the rainy weather by their costumes. They are wearing “kappa (a mackintosh)” and “mino (straw raincoat)”. Tsuchi-yama was known as a place for frequent rains. Therefore, most ukiyo-e works illustrated this scene in rainy weather.

Utagawa Hiroshige The production date:1840 The lively scene of Minakuchi post station is illustrated. Minakuchi post station was flourished as a post station along the Ise Sangu Kaidou (Highway for making pilgrimages to Ise-jingu Shrine), even before Toukaidou Highway was constructed and this place was said as “the most flourished tomeba (place to stop) along the Highway”. in this picture, several tome-on’na (women employees of inns who compulsorily tries to bring travelers to their inns) are pulling the sleeves and luggage of travelers.

Utagawa Hiroshige The production date:1840 Relaxed travelers spending their time in their rooms with their own styles are delicately depicted. Since many travelers who travelled the Toukaidou Highway from Kyoto stayed the first night at Ishibe post station, many inns were lined along the highway and this station was flourished with many travelers.

Utagawa Hiroshige The production date:1840 A view at a tea house serving Ubaga-mochi (rice cake with boiled red beans sweetened), a local delicacy of Kusatsu Post Station. Two litters and a horse are stationed in front of the store showing that it was flourishing.