The Bitter End

Art of the Edo Period

The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido

12. Numazu-juku (Numazu)

Numazu-juku

Numazu-juku was the twelfth of the fifty-three stations of the Tokaido. It is located in the present-day city of Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

History

Numazu was the eastern-most post station within Suruga Province, and was the castle town of the daimyo of Numazu Domain. During its peak in the Edo period, Numazu-juku had over 1,200 buildings, including three honjin, one sub-honjin, and 55 hatago. Modern Numazu city has a local history museum displaying the history of the area.

The classic ukiyoe print by Ando Hiroshige (Hoeido edition) from 1831-1834 depicts travelers walking along a tree-lined river bank, towards Numazu-shuku, under a huge full moon in a deep blue sky. One of the travelers is wearing the white robes of a pilgrim, and is carrying a huge Tengu mask on his back, indicating that his destination is the famed Shinto shrine of Kompira on Shikoku.