Utagawa Yoshikazu 1847-52 Hojo Ujiyasu was the third head of the Odawara branch of the Hojo family. During the Warring States period, he was a warlord in the province of Sagami, and fought battles with the famous generals Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen.

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III), Utagawa Hiroshige 1854 This work depicts a mother and her child crossing the Nihonbashi bridge. The child is holding a doll of a spear carrier. The spear carrier shown here is a man who walks at the head of a daimyo’s procession carrying a spear topped with bird feathers. In the inset behind the two figures, we can see Nihonbashi bridge with large bridge girders in the foreground. In the distance, we can see Mount Fuji and Edo Castle.

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III), Utagawa Hiroshige 1854 This work shows a woman being dressed and her dresser. The woman may be a maid who worked at an inn. Since Yoshiwara was the only red-light district licensed by the shogunate, prostitutes were employed in Shinagawa and many other red-light districts in the guise of maids. The inset shows the appearance of Edo Bay seen from Shinagawa Station. At the bottom right of the inset, we can see Shinagawa Station. This area thrived as a picturesque spot, with this view of Edo Bay as one of its attractions.

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III), Utagawa Hiroshige 1854 The ladle the young boy on the right is holding is probably for a pilgrimage to the Ise Grand Shrine. Children or servants going to the Ise Grand Shrine without permission from their parents or masters were called “Nukemairi”, or pilgrimage to the Ise Grand Shrine without a travel permit or permission, and, on such occasions, people going to the shrine with no money took a ladle with them. Holding out the ladle to people encountered on the way would also bring a divine reward to those thus blessed. The inset shows Kanazawa Kaidou road. In the background, we can see Mount Fuji with expansive fields in the foreground. While this may not appear to be anything out of the ordinary at first glance, it is said that this Kanazawa Kaidou road, which branched off from the Toukaidou and led to Kamakura, was a well-trafficked popular road. The reason that the artist purposely depicted this highway may have been to show that Hodogaya Station was an important point for traffic branching off to many other roads.

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III), Utagawa Hiroshige 1854 This picture shows a scene at an inn. The woman has blackened teeth and appears to be carrying sake and snacks for a party. We can see how the man has been waiting with anticipation from his expression and body language. Located approximately 42 kilometers from Edo, Totsuka Station was a place where many travelers coming from Edo spent a night. Gontasaka Hill, the ascending road shown in the inset, was one of several at Totsuka Station, and was notorious for being difficult to negotiate.

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III), Utagawa Hiroshige 1854 This picture depicts characters who appear in an Edo Period play called “Mishima no Osen”, or Osen of Mishima. Osen appears in a number of plays, in some of which he is depicted as a bandit, and it is probable that this is reflected in this work. The inset probably depicts Daibagawa River and the route from the left side runs down a steep slope leading to Shinmachibashi Bridge across the river. This work can be interpreted as representing the route, which requires great caution, facing Mishima Station.

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III), Utagawa Hiroshige 1854 The two figures in this picture are Ju-bei and Oyone, both of whom appear in “Iga-goe Dochu Sugoroku (Revenge Sought Across the Path of Iga)”, a play based on an actual event known as “Iga-goe no Adauchi” performed in both a Japanese puppet and Kabuki theaters. This event is known as one of the three great acts of revenge, the other two being Chushingura and Soga no Adauchi. This picture shows Jubei depicted in a way that suggests a likeness to third generation-Bando Mitsugoro. Mount Fuji can be seen in the inset together with the mountains around Numazu Station and what appears to be Senbon Matsubara, or Senbon Matsubara Pine Forest. Senbon Matsubara is the name of a stretch of land planted with pine trees along the coast to the south of Numazu Castle, which can be seen on the far right of the picture.

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III), Utagawa Hiroshige 1854 This work shows a woman holding a fan bearing the characters for “White sake” standing in front of barrels of sake. The woman has the appearance of a white sake vendor. White sake was known as a specialty in this area. The barrels bear the legend “Fuji no Shirozake,” or white sake from Fuji, reflecting the large image of Mount Fuji so big that it protrudes out of the inset. Works depicting Hara station often features images of Mount Fuji that protrude from the frame.