Lake Contours, Hakone, from the series the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Hoeido edition)

Upon leaving Odawara station, the traveler enters the mountains of Hakone. The trail is narrow, with large trees imposing on the left and right so that even in the daytime it is only dimly lit. There’s a steep ascent, then a steep descent before arriving at Lake Ashi. What awaits there is the Hakone Checkpoint, the strictest one on the Tokaido Highway. Its role to stop “the entry of guns and the exit of women” implies its particularly strict inspection of female travelers. A feudal procession passes through the mountains towering over the steep slopes, continuing on its way to Lake Ashi. Those on horseback in the procession are dressed for cold weather, and since a white-capped Mount Fuji rises up beyond the lake, it’s probably winter. On the right bank of the lake we can see the Shinto shrine of the sacred mountains of Hakone.