Sarugababa Plain, Futagawa, from the series the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Hoeido edition)

It is said that long agothe mochi rice cakes that feudal leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi ate at Sarugababa Plateau were given the nickname kashiwa mochi (literally “winning peace mochi”) and these were the beginnings of the popular rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves. Depicted in the picture are three blind female street-singers walking through the desolate plain towards a kashiwa mochi shop. Blind women entertainers made a living on donations they received in each village where they performed on the shamisen, sang and danced.