The Toda River Ferry near Warabi Station

The ferry lies across the entire foreground, packed with travelers in hats, children, and even a horse with its load, all pressed shoulder to shoulder. At the bow on the right, the boatman plants a long pole and pushes the boat along. The river around the boat is painted in deep indigo, suggesting a deep current.

On the far bank a grassy embankment continues, and a straw-roofed hut stands beneath a pine. On the road along the embankment a person leads a horse, and small boats are moored at the riverbank. The upper sky is stained pale crimson, and a white heron swoops down close to the water. The contrast between the heaviness of the boat and the quiet of the shore is the highlight.

The Toda ferry was the crossing where the Nakasendo, heading north from Edo, passed the Arakawa River (also called the Toda River in this area). Because no bridge could be built, travelers changed here to a boat and headed for Warabi-juku.

This is a print by Eisen. The impression in the Tokyo National Museum is unsigned, but the impression in the Metropolitan Museum of Art bears the signature "Keisai ga," so impressions made after the signature was removed are thought to exist. The first 11 prints, from Nihonbashi to Honjo, are all by Eisen's brush.