Panoramic View of the Tōkaidō [left of a pair]

This pair of screens, illustrating the verdant mountains and numerous waterways of Japan as seen through golden clouds, is a marvelously imaginative representation of the Tokaido—the country’s most important pre-modern roadway. Viewers visually “travel” the landscape by following the road from town to town. The artist exercised considerable license by representing many bustling centers as small hamlets of 4-5 picturesque buildings clustered on the seashore or alluvial plains. Meticulously rendered figures, on horseback and on foot, alone and as part of military processions, are shown making their way along the road, giving the landscape an overall sense of scale. And yet, the artist was careful to render a pleasing composition through the interplay of reflective clouds, undulating landmasses, and azure waterways. It is at once a spectacular interpretation of a famous roadway and evidence of the increasing interest in travel among Japanese during the Edo period.