Satsuma Province: The Twin-Sword Rocks at Bonoura

In the center of the picture two rock pillars of differing heights rise vertically from the sea. A pine grows on the summit of the left rock, and vertical grooves are carved into its face. In the foreground a small boat carrying a passenger with a parasol advances, and another small boat floats at back right.

Tree branches reach out from the cliff at left, and at the back can be seen a rocky island and a boat with white sails, and at back left an arched sea cave in the rock. The sky is pale blue, with red tinting the area near the horizon. It is a bold composition in which the two rocks stand to fill the tall picture. The contrast with the figures in the small boat conveys the size of the rocks.

Bonotsu has long been a port of trade with China, and is said to have been a port of call for the embassies to Tang China. The Twin Swords Rocks in the inlet were a famous place known for their strange sight. Bonotsu is also said to have been a port of smuggling for the Satsuma domain, a land deeply involved with foreign countries.

On the sea cave at back left are written the words "Bomisaki Shugetsu-do." The National Diet Library's impression has the same composition. To emphasize the height of the rock pillars they are thought to have been drawn thinner and sharper than in reality, and the contrast with the stillness of the sea stands out.