This drawing is a section of a map or travel guide (Dōchū-ki) from the Edo period, depicting the Tōkaidō, the most important road connecting Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto.
Here is the translation of the text labels from right to left:
1. The Yellow Strip on the Right
- Text:
新松之後茶ヤ(likely reading: Shin-matsu no Ushiro Chaya) - Translation: "Teahouse behind the New Pine."
- Breakdown:
新(Shin) = New松(Matsu) = Pine tree之(No) = 's / of (possessive particle)後(Ushiro) = Behind / After茶ヤ(Chaya) = Teahouse / Rest stop
2. The Red Oval (Center)
- Text:
嶋田(Shimada) - Translation: Shimada.
- Context: This is Shimada-juku (Shimada Post Station), the 23rd station on the Tōkaidō road. It is located in modern-day Shizuoka Prefecture.
3. The Small Yellow Strip (Middle)
- Text:
一里塚(Ichirizuka) - Translation: One-Ri Mound (Mile Marker).
- Context: These were earth mounds placed every ri (approx. 2.4 miles or 3.9 km) along major roads to mark distance. The red dot above the text corresponds to the mound drawn just behind the sign.
4. The Yellow Strip on the Left
- Text:
川こし(Kawagoshi) - Translation: River Crossing.
- Context: This is historically very significant. Shimada was located on the banks of the Oi River. The shogunate prohibited building bridges over this river for defense purposes. Therefore, travelers had to hire specialized porters (called kawagoshi-ninsoku) to carry them across the water on their shoulders or on wooden platforms. This sign indicates the area where travelers would hire these porters.