Picture of the Emperor's Travels to Ōu: Viewing Rice Paddies in Saitama Prefecture

During June and July of 1876, Emperor Meiji traveled to survey the Tōhoku (northeast) region and Hokkaido. On his way there, he passed through Gamō Village (present-day Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture), where he saw around 200 men and women planting rice and singing a song about hope for a fruitful year. This is the scene depicted in this nishiki-e, a multicolored woodblock print. This print was created based off news reports about the emperor's travels. The artist is recorded as Endō Tokubei, known more popularly as Utagawa Hiroshige III.