38th Station: Okazaki

In this scene, a long daimyo procession crosses the wooden bridge over the Yahagi River towards the flourishing town surrounding Okazaki Castle, which is seen on the far shore. Yahagibashi was one of the few bridges permitted by the Tokugawa shogunate on the Tokaido, and one of the longest bridges built in Japan during the early Edo period.

Following the Meiji Restoration, with the construction of railroads, the route of what became the Tokaido Road Main Line was laid down through the nearby village of Hane to the south, preserving the economy of the area.