Bamboo Yards and Kyo Bridge

The great Kyo Bridge crosses the upper half of the picture, and people carrying lanterns cross in a line along its railing with its giboshi ornaments. On the bank at left, bamboo is propped so densely that it looks like a black forest. Under the bridge a boatman poles a boat along, and another bridge spans in the distance.

A white full moon floats in a deep indigo night sky, and the gray bridge and black shadow of bamboo tighten the picture. The bridge is drawn large in the foreground and extends beyond the picture's edge, with the view beyond seen from beneath it.

Kyo Bridge was the first bridge crossed when traveling south from Nihonbashi along the Tokaido, and wholesalers of bamboo gathered at its foot, so the quay was called "Takegashi" (Bamboo Quay). The lantern party is thought possibly to be people setting out on a night pilgrimage such as to Oyama. Bamboo was indispensable as a material for construction and daily goods, and was carried by river boat and stacked on the quay.

A night scene lit only by the small glow of lanterns and the moon is differentiated through shades in printing. Though set at the very center of Edo, the print conveys the quiet atmosphere of a night riverbank, and it is well known among the series' night views.