Miya, from the series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road - Utagawa Hiroshige

A woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige depicting the ferry crossing at Miya, the forty-first station of the Tōkaidō road. The scene features a large red torii gate and travellers preparing for the sea voyage to Kuwana.

Miya was the forty-first station on the Tōkaidō road, the coastal route connecting Edo and Kyoto. This woodblock print belongs to the Hoeido edition, which established Utagawa Hiroshige as a master of the landscape genre. The composition focuses on the Atsuta Shrine, indicated by the large red torii gate on the right side of the frame. This gate marks the entrance to the sacred grounds and is a structural element that frames the activity on the shore.

The scene depicts the bustling ferry terminal at Miya. From this point, travellers crossed the Ise Bay to reach Kuwana, the next station on the journey. Hiroshige includes several figures in the foreground, including porters and travellers carrying goods. Their presence provides a sense of scale and human activity against the wide expanse of the water. In the background, several boats are moored or preparing for departure, their masts creating vertical lines that contrast with the horizontal horizon.

Hiroshige used the bokashi technique to create the colour gradations in the sky and water. The deep blue at the top of the print fades into a pale yellow near the horizon, suggesting the light of early morning or late afternoon. The water is rendered with rhythmic lines to indicate movement. On the left, a stone wall and a small building represent the fortifications or official buildings associated with the port. The inclusion of a poem in the upper centre adds a literary dimension to the visual record of the journey.