Mt. Fuji and Mr. Ashigara from Numazu from the series Vertical Tokaido

In the early 1830s, Ando Hiroshige traveled from Edo to Kyoto with a procession bringing horses as gifts from the shogunate to the emperor. His route: the Tokaido, a series of roads connecting Edo (present-day Tokyo)—where the Daimyo (feudal lords) lived—to the Imperial city of Kyoto.

Ando drew upon scenery from this journey for his renowned series of woodblock prints, Fifty-Three Famous Views (of the Tokaido). He produced nearly 40 versions of this album of 55 color prints, one for each stopping place, or "station," on the Tokaido and one for each terminal point: Edo and Kyoto. This particular print illustrates the view from Numazu station. Numazu lies at the southern base of Mt. Fuji—Japan’s highest and most famous mountain—and Mt. Ashigara.