Awa Province: Naruto Whirlpools

In the foreground the indigo sea swirls in a great whirlpool, with white streaks being drawn toward its center. In the middle, waves crash high against reefs on both sides, and spray leaps into the sky. In the distance are a calm sea and the silhouette of Awaji, and a flock of birds can be seen in the sky.

The indigo of the sea is deeper toward the foreground, and the lines of the whirlpool are finely carved, conveying the weight and speed of the water. The sky above shifts from pale yellow to madder red, quiet in contrast with the raging sea. Making use of the tall format, the composition leads the eye down from the distant view to the whirlpool in front.

The Naruto Strait is a place where violent currents and whirlpools arise from the difference in the ebb and flow of the tides of the Kii Channel and the Seto Inland Sea, and was known even in the Edo period as a representative marvel of Awa. This strait dividing Awa and Awaji was also a sea route linking Shikoku with the Kinai region, and the violence of the whirlpools was a favorite subject of travelers' tales.

Hiroshige later drew the Naruto whirlpools large again in a triptych on the theme of snow, moon, and flowers, and this print can be called its forerunner. The bold viewpoint capturing the whirlpool large from directly above was carried on in later works. The Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art also hold this same print.