Station #28: This station got its name from the travelers coming from Kyoto. This was their first opportunity to see Mt. Fuji. But Hiroshige chose to show the ferrymen so important to the travelers. Here the Tenryu River (Heaven Dragon) was 1000 meters wide - over ten football fields. Large sandbars formed during low waters, that's why we see other boats in the distance. The boatmen are taking a break, waiting for a group to fill their boat before they go back across the river. The porter who is standing is smoking a pipe. The Portugese brought tobacco from North America to Japan about 1550 and it's use spread quickly to all levels of society.

Image Copyright: Minneapolis Institute of Art