38 Okazaki the thirty eighth station on …

Magnificent woodblock by Utagawa Kuniteru ( 1808-1876) of the post-town of Okazaki the thirty eighth station on the Tokaido*. The prints depicts the shogun’s procession with flying Uma-jirushi* with his mon*and banners, crossing Yahagibashi bridge, with Okazaki Castle in the background. The bridge was one of the few bridges permitted by the Tokugawa shogunate on the Tokaido, and at the time was one of the longest bridges built in Japan.

The views in this series depict the journey of Tokugawa Iemochi (1846-1866) the 14th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate from Edo to Kyoto on April 22, 1863 who had been summoned by the emperor. This was the first time in 230 years that a shogun had visited Kyoto. He travelled with over 3,000 retainers as an escort and with all the pomp and ceremony that was expected of a shogun.  

A number of artists and publishers collaborated on this series

*Tokaido (literally, the Eastern Sea Road) was the main feudal road in Japan that ran mainly along the coast for five hundred kilometers between Kyoto, where the Emperor resided and the capital, Edo (Tokyo), where the Shogun lived. Over time, the fifty-three stations became post-towns which supplied horses, porter stations, lodgings and food for travellers.

*Uma-jirushi were massive flags used in feudal Japan to identify a daimyo or shogun.

*Mon or kamon, are Japanese emblems used to identify an individual or clan and often seen on flags, clothing or uma-jirushi.

Published date/seal: 1865 (Genji 2/ Keio 1 V)

From the series, Suehiro gojusan tsugi (Fifty-Three Stations with a Folding Fan or Fan Tokaido).