Fukaya Station

At left stands a large two-story inn, and behind the lattice a woman sits with her chin on her hand. In front of the shop five women stand in a row lifting the hems of their long robes, and the woman in the lead carries a round lantern. Inside the shop a figure welcoming guests can also be seen.

The right half sinks into the darkness of night, and men in hats or leaning on staffs are drawn only as gray shadows. This bold composition setting vividly colored women beside shadowy men draws on Eisen's skill in bijin-ga (portraits of beautiful women) and is an unusual print even within this series.

Fukaya-juku was one of the largest stations on the Nakasendo, with many inns keeping meshimori onna (serving women), and it bustled as the second night's lodging for travelers who had left Edo. The women in this print are also thought to be women of such a station.

This is a print by Eisen, titled "Kiso Kaido," with no signature. The composition, which makes figures rather than scenery the main subject, shows the character of Eisen, famed for his beauty prints. Prints depicting a night at a station are rare in the series, and convey another face of travel, the nighttime bustle of the post town, different from the daytime highway.