Clearing Weather at Awazu

Pictures on the theme of clearing weather from the Eight-View series traditionally show a landscape on a sunny but windy day. In order to represent windiness, painters usually include trees whose branches blow in the breeze. In this print, the pine trees in the foreground seem to sway in the wind, and the boats on the lake have full sails. Awazu is a castle town located on Lake Biwa's southern shore. The roadway in this print is the great Tokaidø, linking Edo (Tokyo) with the historic capital of Kyoto. In the distance, Zeze castle's ramparts rise from the lake. In the far distance is Mount Hiei, a holy mountain to the north of Kyoto.