No. 18, Okitsu: The Okitsu River and Satta Pass (Okitsu, Okitsugawa Satta no tōge), from the series Famous Sights of the Fifty-three Stations (GojÅ«san tsugi meisho zue), also known as the Vertical Tōkaidō Possibly 1855 - 1857

Editor: Hiroshige's "No. 18, Okitsu: The Okitsu River and Satta Pass," from his Famous Sights series, presents such a calm, yet busy, scene. I’m struck by the contrast between the figures wading through the water and the grandeur of the landscape behind them. What feelings does this evoke in you? Curator: It's like a gentle poem, isn’t it? Hiroshige captures the ephemeral nature of travel and human interaction with nature. The figures almost seem like they're floating, connected to the landscape, yet so fleeting. Do you feel the same pull between the transient and the eternal here? Editor: I think I do. It’s as if the landscape is a witness to the people’s everyday lives. Curator: Exactly. And perhaps we, as viewers, are invited to become witnesses too, briefly joining the river's flow. Thanks for sharing your fresh perspective. Editor: Thank you! It's lovely to see the image in a new way.