Kisokaidô: Suhara - Station 39

Utagawa Hiroshige - Series of the 69 stations of the Kisokaido: Station Suhara (40th print) (Suhara)

© Trustees of the British Museum

In summer in the Kiso region, when warm currents from the coastal plains mix with the cooler air from the mountain region, thunderstorms and torrential rains are the result. Hiroshige portrays travelers under a storm taking shelter in a wayside shrine, probably within the compound of the famous Josho-ji temple, south of Suhara station. In the interior, we see two monks, their heads hidden by the basket-like hats they wear, one prays facing the wall (1) and the other sits with his legs crossed (2) as they wait for the storm to pass. A pilgrim (3) possibly on his way to nearby Mt.Ontake avails himself of the opportunity to record his presence on one of the support posts of the shrine. In front of them, a porter (4) squats, his baggage strapped to his back. Outside in the rain, two men (5) run towards the shelter, one protecting himself beneath a straw mat. In the distance, silhouetted against the horizon, a rider and a man on foot, both protected by straw mat pursue their journey in spite of the rain.

This type of scene was originally made popular by the genre painter Hanabusa Itcho (1652-1724) who used the images of people as a vehicle to portray the various levels of society. Itcho’s work remained popular throughout Edo period and several artists, such as Utamaro or Kiyonaga repeated the subject in the 18th century. They were in turn copied by figure painters such as Utagawa Kunisada and Hiroshige. Below is a screen from the Miho Museum showing people from different levels of society sheltering from the rain under the eaves of a temple gate, people who would normally not meet or interact. According to Sebastian Izzard, Hiroshige’s print is directly inspired by an illustration named Amayadori (Shelter from the rain) taken from Itcho gafu (Itcho’s picture book) a revival of Itcho’s work published by Suzuki Rinsho ca.1770 inspired by the screen pictured below.

The first state of this print was printed in dark tones to underscore the gloom of the inclement weather, with the sheets of pouring rain printed with a white lead pigment which turned black as it oxidized as here. In later impressions, the whole palette is lighter as if the worst of the storm has passed and the rain is printed black.

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

Amayadori in Itcho Gafu, Hanabusa Itcho's picture book, published byr Suzuki Rinsho in 1770

© Trustees of the British Museum

Hanabusa Itcho - Screen Amayadori (Miho Museum)

Hanabusa Itcho - Detail of Amayadori screen (Miho Museum)

Kawase Hasui - Suhara (1925)

Suhara in 1895

Suhara in 2010

Kiso river near Suhara

And now ?

Suhara has kept many old buildings such as the waki-honjin, several sake breweries and nice temples. The town is between the mountain and the river, running parallel. Here floods are the main danger and the village was swept away in the 1715 floods and rebuilt slightly higher. In 1843, there were 24 inns and some are still operating. In the village stands the Josho-ji temple, established in the 10th century. It was swept away in a great flood in 1561 and rebuilt on higher ground on the former site of Kiso Yoshinari's mansion. Its garden follows the principle of "shakkei" or "borrowing the scenery" and uses the surrounding mountains as a major element. The pond, the maple trees and the white building are framed by the mountains which are fully integrated in the garden itself.

A speciality in Suhara is "hanazuke", a tea pickled with salt and cherry blossoms which can be found in several shops. In the main street, several fountains bring fresh water to wary travellers. Nishijima Katsuyuki depicts one of these in his print. Kawase Hasui did a grand tour in the Japanese Alps in 1924 and his print on Suhara shows us the village under a torrential rain.

Mt.Komagatake is just behind the village. It is one of the main mountains in the area and a favourite with climbers. From the top, one can see Mt.Fuji as depicted in Yoshida Hiroshi’s print. Hiroshi used to come and spend his summers in this area, climbing and painting. He did many prints of mountains ranges in Japan, Europe and in the Rocky Mountains in the US.