Rokugo Ferry at Kawasaki

The ferry cutting diagonally across the foreground carries a man holding his hat, a woman in a hood, and passengers with bundles, while the boatman pushes off with a pole. On the bank at left someone steers a raft, and at the landing on the far side horses with loads and porters can be seen, showing people and goods moving back and forth across the river.

The sky in the distance is red at its lowest edge, and to its right snow-capped Mount Fuji floats in white. The contrast between the red of dusk and the white of Fuji, together with the blue of the river, holds the picture together quietly.

The lower Tama River was also called the Rokugo River, and it was the first large river that Tokaido travelers crossed after leaving Edo. A Rokugo bridge stood here in the early Edo period, but after it was washed away by floods in the Jokyo and Genroku eras it was never rebuilt, and ferries continued until the Meiji era. From 1709 (Hoei 6), Kawasaki-juku took over the ferry operation, and its income supported life in the post town. The row of houses seen across the river is Kawasaki-juku.

On the water's edge at right, reed-covered sandbars and huts on the bank are scattered about, suggesting the broad river near its mouth. The people aboard the boat relax in various postures, and the brief crossing already carries a travel mood.