Mieji

On the right, a large bamboo thicket leans in the wind, with a tree bearing red leaves beside it. On the sloping road, a man carrying a load and a traveler holding his hat seem to be talking. On the left, a river and shallows open out, and beyond a row of stakes you can see thatched-roof houses and the sunset sky.

The green bamboo takes up nearly half the picture, in strong contrast to the open waterside at left. The sky is printed vermilion at the bottom, fading lighter toward the top, and the silhouettes of birds in flight suggest the hour of dusk. The stakes lined up along the water are thought to have been for embankments or boat landings.

Mieji-juku was a post town in Ono District, Mino Province, and its name comes from Mieji temple, said to have been founded in the Nara period. The river shown is thought to be the Sai River, which flows south of the town. The area was low land troubled by flooding, and the settlement was built on the natural levee along the river.

This is a design by Hiroshige, and the station name in the title is written in kana as "Mieji." Hiroshige, who took over the series from Eisen, is thought to have drawn many scenes like this one, rich in mood of time and weather, once the road entered the Mino plain.