Miya Shichiri Ferry Crossing, Gate to the Atsuta Shrine, and Nezame Village by Utagawa Hiroshige

Miya Shichiri Ferry Crossing, Gate to the Atsuta Shrine, and Nezame Village is a richly layered and culturally significant print by Utagawa Hiroshige, part of his famed series The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (specifically, the 42nd station). “Miya” was not only one of the largest post towns along the Tōkaidō road, but also a deeply spiritual site, being the gateway to the Atsuta Shrine, one of Shinto’s most revered sanctuaries.

The composition features a combination of movement, architecture, and spiritual suggestion. In the foreground, travelers prepare to board or disembark from boats at the Shichiri-no-watashi, or “Seven Ri Ferry”—a major river crossing over the Shinkawa River, where there was no bridge. The crossing was vital for those journeying between Miya and Kuwana, and Hiroshige gives it life with bustling figures, boats laden with passengers, and water rendered in rhythmic curves.