Nagakubo (Station 28) from the series Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kisokaido

The inland road connecting Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Kyoto, the Kisokaidō had 69 post stations, similar to contemporary freeway rest areas. These prints of the mountainous Kisokaidō offered urban print collectors views of scenic spots without the inconveniences of travel. Moonlight silhouettes travelers leaving the Nagakubo station, while a figure with a walking stick approaches it across the Wada Bridge. In the foreground, a man leading his weary horse gazes at the moon while children play with dogs.