The Parting Depth of the Three-pronged River

On the near water float a sailboat loaded with cargo and two small boats, with men working rudders and poles. In the middle, a reed-covered shoal extends sideways, and small boats dot the water beyond. Warehouses and houses continue along the far shore, and further back, Mount Fuji rises above a range of mountains.

Blue river and sky occupy most of the picture, with the green of the reeds, white sails, and white Fuji arranged quietly. It is a gentle picture that expresses the expanse of the river with horizontally layered bands. The reeds growing on the shoal in the middle distance add a soft variation to the picture.

Mitsumata is where the Sumida River divides near Hakozaki, and it was known as a deep pool where currents collide. In the mid-Edo period the sandbar was reclaimed and turned into an entertainment district, but it was later removed and the shoal is said to have become overgrown with reeds. The cargo boats carried rice, firewood, and other goods and are thought to have been transporting supplies to the city of Edo.

This print belongs to the summer section, and its censor's seal dates it to the second month of Ansei 4 (1857). The sight of cargo boats on the river conveys life in Edo, where rivers served as roads for moving goods, and the series includes many other pictures of the Sumida River.