Twilight Scene at Numazu

A large full moon rises between the trees at the center of the picture, and the sky is turning blue with dusk. The man walking toward us along the riverside road carries a red tengu mask on his back. He is a pilgrim to Kompira Gongen in Sanuki (present-day Kagawa Prefecture), and the mask is an offering to be dedicated.

The two figures ahead of him are a bikuni (a woman who goes about collecting donations in the guise of a nun) and her companion. In their hands they hold a ladle for receiving alms. Under the moonlight, travelers with different purposes head along the same road to the post station.

The river flowing on the left is the Kano River, and beyond the bridge in the back the houses of Numazu-juku can be seen. The blue of the water, the white of the moon, and the pale color of the road are put together in a calm tone, conveying the air of the hour when day has ended and people hurry to their lodgings.

Numazu-juku was the twelfth post station from Edo, close to the mouth of the Kano River, and it was also the castle town of Numazu Castle. The outline of the moon is expressed in white by leaving the blue of the sky unprinted, and its brightness is reflected in the river too. The thin trees by the road are spaced apart so as not to hide the moon, creating a vertical rhythm in the picture.