Utagawa Hiroshige 1840 The scenery of Osaka Slope, which was located at the west side of Totsuka post station is depicted. Since Totsuka post station was located between the two slopes, on the east side by Gonta-zaka Slope and on the west side by Osaka Slope, this place was flourished with many travelers who took a break. The pine trees depicted on the foreground are planted on the slope as to look down the highway and the roofs of the inns and hotels of Totsuka post station, depicted in the center of the picture, are depicted as to attract the eyes of viewers.

Utagawa Hiroshige 1840 The scenery of people crossing Okitsu River, which flowed the east side of Okitsu post station, by kachi-watashi (Men porters who carried travelers to cross them over the river by walk.) is depicted. The scene of porters loading and unloading the luggage by the river is illustrated on the foreground bank of the river. The fee of crossing over the river varyed depending on the depth of the water and the number of luggage they carried. The hill illustrated on the back is Satta mountain pass, which was known with its great scenic view.

Utagawa Hiroshige The production date:1840 From a boundary guidepost that indicates the entrance and exit of the post station illustrated in the right, it is suggested that this place is the entrance of the Chiryu post station. Illustrated on the right of the frame are horses bearing “Gohei (a sacred Shinto staff with pendant strips of folded cut white paper). This is the historical event of offering horses from Bakufu (Edo, the central government) to the Gosho (Emperor’s Court) in Kyoto that used to take place in August of the old calendar every year.

Utagawa Hiroshige The production date:1840 On a bridge crossing to the other side of Yokkaichi Post Station are some pilgrims, a traveler with a Tengu mask (a long nosed red face) on his back from the Kompira Shrine and in the foreground three child pilgrims of the Ise-jingu Shrine are coming and going from the Ise-jingu Shrine.

The scene of Fude-sute Mountain situated in front of the Saka-no-shita post station is illustrated. This place was known for its grate view of Fude-sute Mountain across the Suzuka River. The name Fude-sute deviated from a historical story of Kano Motonobu, who was a notable artist of the Muromachi period. When he tried to sketch this mountain, the weather avoided him to draw the mountain every time he tried. Since he gave up drawing and threw away the brush, the name of the mountain became Fude-sute (“fude-sute” means “throw away a brush”).

Utagawa HiroshigeⅡ 1860

Utagawa　Hiroshige 1855 Mariko post station was famous with the yam soup. In the picture, there are many shops that put up the signboards of “Yam Soup”. In a shop, which is illustrated on the left, many pictures that look like ukiyo-e are displayed on the wall, and this depiction illustrates that ukiyo-e was popular among ordinary people in this period. The series, “Views of Famous Places of Fifty-three Stations of the Toukaidou” was produced in 1855, when Hiroshige was 59 years old, and this is his last Toukaidou series. This series is also called “The Toukaidou in Vertical Pictures” since it is produced as the series of vertical pictures. It is considered the vertical composition is not suitable for landscape pictures since it is difficult to find the good balance in the space. However Hiroshige, the master of landscape pictures used this composition in a distinctive way, created the masterpiece series.