Kisokaidô: Yawata - Station 24

Yawata was one of the smallest stations with few inns, located not far from Shionada, on the other bank of the Chukuma-gawa river. Travelers would only stop here if they could not cross the river. The print however shows the Hyakuzawa hamlet, beyond Yawata on the road towards Mochizuki, the next station. A bridge crosses an irrigation channel lined with bamboos (1) and wicker-bound rocks (2) as protection against erosion. Large stands of bamboo (3) can be seen around the village. The bridge is the focal point of the print where villagers go about their business: an elderly man (4) walks with the aid of a cane, a porter follows him on the bridge carrying a box wrapped in straw and his packed lunch on a pole over his shoulder. Crossing the bridge in the opposite direction is a boy (5) with his harvested crop of vegetables in a wicker basket on his back. On the slope beyond, a farmer (6) carrying his hoe over his shoulder is going towards a woman (7) with a baby on her back coming into view.

This print was not modified in the successive editions.

(Source: The 69 stations of the Kisokaido, Sebastian Izzard, Brazillier 2008)