View of the Hatcho Embankment at Kumagaya Station

At the left foreground stands a teahouse with a signboard, where a traveler relaxes on a bench and a woman of the shop offers tea. In the center, palanquin bearers set down a palanquin, and a stooping man speaks to the passenger leaning out. Behind them a horse draped with a decorative cloth is tied, and at the foot of the pine at right stands a stone signpost carved with characters.

At the back right the embankment road, painted red, extends in a large arc, with thin trees lining both sides. At left can be seen a blue water surface and a shape like a white sail, and distant ranges overlap beyond. The contrast between the dark eaves of the teahouse and the bright fields creates depth in the picture.

Kumagaya-juku was a large station even among those on the Nakasendo, and west of the station the Kumagaya Embankment, which protected against floods of the Arakawa River, continued for a long way. The "Hatcho Embankment" of the title is said to refer to this embankment.

This is a print by Eisen, with the title written as "Kiso Dochu," bearing the signature and the publisher's seal. Details of travel along the highway, such as the teahouse, palanquin bearers, and signpost, are carefully drawn in. In choosing a rest stop on the edge of the station instead of the townscape, one feels the traveler's viewpoint.