The reader may already be acquainted with the Hoeidō series (1833-34) of The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, author's ISBN 978-1-64786-283-1. This was the most popular print series ever made in Japan.
In this Tōkaidō series we follow the two scoundrels Yaji and Kita on their pilgrimage to the Grand Shrines of Ise and later travelling to Kyoto and Osaka, in the 60 prints by Fujikawa Tamenobu based on the 1802 novel by Ikku Jippensha.
Fujikawa Tamenobu's 60 prints from 1890 are broadly based on Hiroshige's Tōkaidō landscape series but also draw from the old master Hokusai's humorous Tōkaidō series from 1802 through 1806. The reader experiences the same journey and can compare to the Hoeidō series.
It is possible to travel the same road today and some villages are still looking quite like they did back then. The postal stations were constructed between 1601 and 1624.
