Station #22: Hiroshige gives us a clear view of the ton'ya, the heart of each station. Here a well-dressed man waits while men transfer his luggage to packhorses and human porters after being weighed and taxed. At the top right, the director of the ton'ya is overseeing the process. All forms of transport operated between two stations only, necessitating a change at each. The government required that bearers and packhorses be ready and available at each station for the free use of government officials. Other travelers paid a fixed price for transport services, though a deal might be made along the road if a groom had to return to his home station without a return fee. Notice the workmen here. They are relaxing while they wait for all the paperwork to be completed. This could be a merchant escorting a shipment of fabric to the next large city, one of the few large commodities not to be shipped by boat.

Image Copyright: Minneapolis Institute of Art