Moriyama

A river flows in the foreground, and cherry trees bloom in full glory on the left bank. Inns and teahouses line the street along the river, customers rest in front of the shops, and travelers on horseback and people carrying loads come and go. Beyond the houses a green mountain rises, its foot also wrapped in cherry blossoms. The riverbank is a green embankment that forms the boundary with the street.

The pale pink of the blossoms is placed at lower left and upper right, with the townscape sandwiched along a diagonal. The yellow and brown of the roofs, the indigo of the river, and the green of the mountain overlap brightly, making this one of the most splendid designs in the series.

Moriyama-juku was a post town in Yasu District, Omi Province, and as the first overnight stop for travelers leaving Kyoto it bustled, as in the saying "Leave Kyoto, stay at Moriyama." The name is said to come from Tomon-in, built as the eastern guardian of Mount Hiei. Later, adding Yoshimi in the east and Imajuku in the west made the town larger still.

This is a design by Hiroshige. The river drawn is the Yoshikawa (Sakai River) flowing through the town, and Hiroshige is said to have drawn the town from near the earthen bridge over it. He placed a spring scene near the end of the run of Omi post-town designs.