Station #46: While Hiroshige sometimes moved a mountain or changed the flow of a river to make a more striking composition, here he was faithful to reality. Kameyama castle, built in the 16th century, stood high on the hill above this market town. You can feel the crisp cold of the clear morning air as a daimyo procession winds it way past the magnificent castle walls. Perhaps this is the local lord returning to his castle after the New Year's visit to the family Shinto shrine. The government assigned daimyo specific times to travel to Edo and to return to their province. The most powerful and favored daimyo traveled during good weather in the spring and fall. Less favored daimyo were assigned dates during the rainy season.

Image Copyright: Minneapolis Institute of Art