Nissaka c. 1840 - 1842

Utagawa Hiroshige created "Nissaka" as a woodblock print, capturing a scene along the Tōkaidō road. During the Edo period in Japan, the Tōkaidō was a crucial route connecting Edo, now Tokyo, with Kyoto. In this print, we see laborers carrying goods, highlighting the physical demands of trade and travel. These figures, rendered with a certain anonymity, remind us of the countless individuals whose efforts powered the economy. Their journey on foot evokes a sense of perseverance. The poem inscribed on the print brings forward the weariness of travel. "Nissaka" thus serves not only as a landscape, but as a social document. It speaks volumes about the experiences of those whose labor underpinned the economic and social structures of the time.