Kisokaidô: Nakatsugawa - Station 45

Utagawa Hiroshige - Series of the 69 stations of the Kisokaido: Station Nakatsugawa (46th print) (Nakatsugawa)

(Edition done in 1950's by Kyoto Hanga-in under the supervision of Narazaki Muneshige, the most faithful to the first edition)

Utagawa Hiroshige - Series of the 69 stations of the Kisokaido: Station Nakatsugawa (47th print) (Nakatsugawa)

© Trustees of the British Museum

This station is illustrated by two prints. It is unclear why two prints were created, but we suppose that the blocks for the first one were either lost or damaged.. The first one (Retainers under the rain) is quite rare. The second (Bridge in the plain) is much more common.

First print Nakatsugawa – Retainers under the rain:

Three retainers of a feudal lord clad in green raincoats make their way along the banks of the Nakatsu-gawa river past a single pine tree in a torrential rainstorm. Two of them (1) carry red backpacks while the third (2) carries a polearm with its blade wrapped in a red pouch as protection from the weather. Through the gloom three herons (3) can be seen, one rising in flight. In the background are the thatched houses of the station (4) with a few figures in the street, huddled against the elements.

The rain was originally rendered with a white pigment to suggest its intensity. But the pigment oxidized and now appears black. The first impressions have an extra blue block on the leggings worn by the two retainers.

Second print Nakatsugawa – Bridge in the plain:

Two willow trees (1) with sprouting leaves stand near a bridge and a stone embankment (2). Two bearers (3) with their palanquin cross a porter (4) with his load on a pole. They follow the bridge and the road as it zigzags across the flat water meadows to reach the buildings of the station (5). To the left are flat bands of mist (6) rising from the valley. In the background, the mountains of the Kiso district suggest the rigors awaiting the travellers going east.

There is not much variation in printing in all the prints bearing the Kinjudo seal (7) (林)within the print itself as they were the last prints to be published.

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

A sketch by Hiroshige in guide to Kisokaido published in 1851 has the same composition as the second Nakatsugawa print

The valley of the Kiso river and Nakatsugawa

A palanquin by Felice Beato (ca. 1880)

And now ?

Nakatsugawa is located at 337km or 210mi from Edo and there are less than 200km/120mi left before reaching Otsu, the last station. We left the Kiso river to go through the Magome Pass and we are now back in the Kiso river valley. The Nakatsugawa river goes through the city and then flows into the Kiso river. But the Nakasendo stays away from its banks. In 1843, Nakatsugawa was an average station with 1000 inhabitants, one honjin, one waki-honjin and 29 inns. The waki-honjin built in 1803 is now the post office. Some old houses are still standing, including a brewery and sweet shops. The latter are selling the local sweet delicacy named kurikinton, based on chestnut cream filling (chestnut is “kuri” in Japanese). Chestnuts are abundant in the surrounding forests. There are also maple trees and their magnificent red foliage in autumn, named “momiji” attract many visitors. The Kiso river is larger here, but still quite wild. There are several bridges such as the red Bridge or the Murase-bashi bridge as can be seen below.