Ochiai Yoshiiku The production date:1862 In this picture, surrounded by the three thieves, Benten Kozou, Nihon Daemon, and Nangou Rikimaru, Koubei, the owner of a mercer Hamamatsu-ya is illustrated. A box that contains 1,000-ryou (“ryou” is a monetary unit, and 1,000 ryou worth about 100 million-yen at that time) is put on the floor. One of the famous scene “Kuramae” is illustrated in this picture. Following the previous “Hamamatsu-ya” scene, after two thieves left the shop once, directed by Nihon Daemon, three thieves are trying to rob all the money from the shop. Wearing women’s glorious kimono loosely, holding a sake cup on his hand, Benten Kozou who is sitting in a casual manner was illustrated as a dandy and cool thief.

Utagawa Kunisada(ToyokuniⅢ) The production date:1852 “Shibaraku” was one of the kabuki plays of “Kabuki’s Jyu-hachi-ban” or fortes of Ichikawa family (the kabuki performing company). This picture captured a famous scene from “Shibaraku”, when Kamakura Gongorou Kagemasa appears from hana-michi, or the aisle situated at the auditorium, when villains are trying to kill a good people. He cries the famous word “Shibaraku (Wait for a while!)”, and punishes the villains with a superhuman powers. The main character Kamakura Gongorou Kagemasa was a lord who lived in Kamakura area and he was a worrier of Heike clan. He developed Fujisawa city while he ruled around this area, therefore had a connection to Fujisawa.

Naniwa-kou (Naniwa Union) was a union founded by a group of Osaka area merchants in 1804. In order to provide a safe inns and hotels for the members, they appointed all the good inns along the main Highway, and asked them to participate the union. Members can easily found appointed inns by the union’s mark on the signboard. In this folded booklet, the appointed inns are listed by following the actual route of the Highway. The route of Oyama Road starts with Fujisawa, followed by Yotusya, Ichinomiya, Tamura, Isehara, Koyasu, then finally Oyama.

Utagawa Kunisada III Artist: Utagawa Kunisada III Production date: 1889 (Meiji 22) O-ban polychrome print, triptych The five notorious thieves or shiranami are illustrated with Enoshima Island and Mt. Fuji on their background. This is the scene when they are trying to escape from Inamura-ga-saki Cliff by going through the seaway of Enshu Nada, or Sea of Enshu. This colorful and dynamic work is a typical Meiji period ukiyo-e: The vivid colors of vermilion sky and the purple kimono symbolize the ukiyo-e of the Meiji period.

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige Production date: 1830-1844 (Tempou era) Utagawa Hiroshige was known with his masterpiece works of the landscape pictures of famous places, but he was also good at bird and flower picture and created many simple works as this piece. In this work, two flying swallows are illustrated with the hanging wisteria flowers. This two might be a couple since they stare each other. Wisteria or “Fuji” in Japanese is “City’s Flower” of Fujisawa City. This flower was loved from the ancient time in Japan and blooms during early summer.

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni Ⅲ) Production date: 1863 (Bunkyu 3) From the leading group of the procession illustrated across the Nihonbashi Bridge, it is suggested the scene illustrated is the procession of samurai moving toward the viewer. The picture captures the lively bustle of city with the illustrations of various people such as fish peddlers passing by the bridge quickly and curious onlookers watching the procession.

Artist: Chikamaro (Kawanabe Kyousai) Production date: 1863 (Bunkyu 3) In front of the sitting Shogun, driven off by special hunters seko, wild boars and deer are dropped off from the cliff. The movements and facial expressions of illustrated hunters are influenced by “Hokusai Manga”, an illustration manual that Katsushika Hokusai produced for his pupils. Kyousai himself also produced several illustration manuals and as Hokusai, he was interested in the wide variety of genres.

Artist: Kawanabe Kyousai Production date: 1863 (Bunkyu 3) Gonta-zaka Slope was known for its steep slope and for the travelers of the Toukaidou Highway, this was the first slope that they had to climb after they left Edo. While people climbing the Gonta-zaka Slope are illustrated with a dark tone in the background, the scenery of the teahouse, illustrated at the foreground is illustrated distinctively with vivid colors.