53 Stations: Hokusai's Album of Travel Pictures, vol. 1

A bookshop owner shows a book to a warrior and his retinue. The rectangular sign at the front of the shop announces that it is a bookstore where one can buy and sell old, used books. Though illegible, the wooden slips hanging in rows likely advertise the bookseller’s inventory or new publications. During the Edo period, people had to obtain permission in order to travel. Books like Hokusai’s Album of Travel Pictures allowed people to see sights and enjoy specialties that were otherwise often unattainable.