Katsushika Hokusai’s Ukiyo-e I will explain Mt. Fuji from Kanaya on the Tokaido in Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.
Kanaya in this ukiyo-e is present-day Kanaya-juku in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Kanaya-juku is the 24th post station on the Tokaido, located on the west bank of the Oi River.
The Oi River is the most difficult place on the Tokaido, and is said to be “Hakone Hachiri can be crossed by horses, but the Oi River cannot be crossed”.
During the Edo period, bridges and ferries were prohibited. On the Oi River, people crossed the river and people carried luggage and people on the back of horses.
The depth of the water is as far as “nipple”, which is the very limit of the river stop.
Travelers and luggage are depicted coming and going from both Kanaya-juku and Shimada-juku.
Some people carry them on their backs individually, while others carry more than ten people carrying baskets on their backs.
For some reason, there are three rows of bearers on the left end and the carriage on the immediate right, but one row does nothing.
The flag hanging at Shimada-shuku has the character for ei, the character for longevity on the Nagasaki, and the character for longevity and the family crest on the traveler’s furoshiki.
At the end of Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji.
This ukiyo-e is from around 1830 to 1832. Hokusai is around 72 years old.
