沼川の渡し　原の間吉原新道　蒲原迄二り

About this print

A red rickshaw is being carried on a river ferry, vehicle and all. The boatman works his pole, and the travelers on board are deep in talk. On the bank, a man in a green kimono runs toward the boat, holding out his hand. Beyond are a sandbank thick with pines and a boat with its sail lowered. The title is "Numakawa no watashi" (the Numa River ferry), a crossing on the new road built between Hara and Yoshiwara. It is part of Utagawa Hiroshige III's Tokai Meisho Kaisei Dochuki (Famous Places of the Tokaido, Revised Travel Guide), published in 1875 (Meiji 8). The National Diet Library titles it Kaisei Gojusan Eki (The Fifty-three Stations, Revised).

The Numa River, 14.1 kilometers long, flows through the cities of Numazu and Fuji into Suruga Bay. The area along its lower reaches is wetland where Ukishima Marsh once lay. Much of it has since been drained, and it is now an industrial park.

Glossary