Awa Province: Whirlpool at Naruto

Dramatic waves leap and crash over rocks in the Naruto Strait, a narrow passage connecting the eastern part of the Inland Sea with the Kii Channel between Awaji Island and Naruto in Shikoku. Below the foaming waves is the swirling vortex of one of Naruto’s famous whirlpools; shorebirds dash through the air and the hills of Awaji island are visible on the opposite shore. The sharply up-tilted ground plane, a feature of many of Hiroshige’s later designs, creates an arresting close-up view of the foaming water and rocks, suspended in time as the birds hover overhead.
The tide rushes through the Naruto strait four times daily, bringing vast quantities of water from the Pacific into and out from the Inland Sea. Quick shifts in water levels and the swiftness of the current in the narrow channel cause dramatic whirlpools to form. Today the whirlpools are a tourist attraction, visible from boats or from the bridge that now spans the strait.