Nissaka: Sayo no Nakayama - Utagawa Hiroshige

A woodblock print from Hiroshige's Tokaido series depicting travellers on the steep Sayo no Nakayama pass near Nissaka. It features the legendary Night-weeping Stone.

Nissaka is the twenty-fifth station in Utagawa Hiroshige's series, The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido. This specific print depicts the Sayo no Nakayama pass, a steep and difficult section of the coastal road connecting Edo and Kyoto. The composition centres on a large, rounded boulder known as the Night-weeping Stone. Local folklore suggests this stone cried out at night after a pregnant woman was murdered nearby, leading to the capture of her killer. Hiroshige uses a sharp diagonal to define the mountain path. Travellers are shown ascending and descending the bright yellow track. Their small figures provide a sense of scale against the terrain. To the right, a dark, wooded slope rises steeply, populated by gnarled pine trees. In the distance, the blue silhouette of a mountain peak provides depth against the pale sky. The top of the print features a deep blue band created through the bokashi technique. This method involves hand-applying ink to the woodblock to achieve a gradated effect. The series was produced following Hiroshige's own journey along the Tokaido in 1832. He was part of an official delegation sent to present horses to the Emperor. The Hoeido edition is the most famous of his many Tokaido sets. In this scene, the figures include a group of travellers gathered around the stone and others further up the incline. One man carries a shoulder pole with baskets, a common sight for porters of the era. Another figure wears a wide straw hat and a blue cloak, typical attire for protection against the elements. The artist's treatment of the trees shows a preference for expressive, angular forms. The pines cling to the hillside with exposed roots, their needles rendered in dark, dense clusters. This contrast between the dark foliage and the light path guides the eye through the scene. The inclusion of the Night-weeping Stone adds a layer of cultural meaning to the landscape. It transforms a standard travel view into a site of historical and supernatural interest for the contemporary Japanese audience.