Famous Arimatsu Tie-dyed Fabrics at Narumi

On the left of the street is a shop with colorful cloths hanging from its eaves. Further back another shop can be seen displaying cloth in the same way. Both sell Arimatsu shibori (tie-dyed cloth dyed in patterns by binding it), and have handsome two-story frontages. The shop roofs are large, and the white-walled second floors have lattice windows in a row. The shops facing the street are opened wide in front to display their goods.

In the shop in the foreground, a seated customer is deep in conversation with the shopkeeper. The Tokyo Fuji Art Museum points out that the noren curtain bears a pattern combining the characters of Hiroshige's Hiro. On the street are a palanquin, a woman traveler in a hat, and a traveler on horseback, who go on without a glance at the shops.

Arimatsu is a town between Narumi-juku and Chiryu-juku, opened in 1608 (Keicho 13) by the Owari domain. Shibori dyeing was devised as a souvenir for travelers going back and forth on the Tokaido and became a specialty. The title says Narumi, but what is drawn is the townscape of Arimatsu, the place of production of the specialty. Beyond, the road continues with houses and trees.