Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858)

During the Edo period the town of Takasaki was fairly large as well as being the seat of the Matsudaira family. In this scene some travellers have been stopped by a beggar asking for money, with another beggar running over to join them. In the teahouse behind them a man leans out smoking, gazing at the Karasu River and Mount Haruna beyond.

For another impression in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, accession number 11.39284, go to www.mfa.org/collections and for another in the Tokyo National Museum, go to https://webarchives.tnm.jp/imgsearch/show/C0007234