Tokaido Yoshida Symbolism

The Tokaido Yoshida, printed by Katsushika Hokusai, is an example of the Tokugawa's period of peace through forms of leisure and harmonious activity. Although the Tokugawa adopted many economic and societal changes, a period of great peace was established and maintained. A hereditary class of warriors ran Japan under a centralized feudal system, but samurai rarely had a reason to use their weapons. Japan experienced decades of domestic peace due to many factors, including its relative seclusion, and centralized government. This is reflected through a woodblock print entitled Tokaido Yoshida, which appears to take place in a teahouse filled with geisha, and frequented by samurai. The samurai are indicated by their showy clothing, and hats, which are embroidered with a symbol
Slaves with little clothing are also depicted in the print sitting next to a palanquin, which shows that they work for the samurai. The samurai aren't carrying swords, which suggests that the samurai don't have a need for them, and therefore symbolizes a time of relative peace. The setting of the teahouse also implies peacefulness, and the samurai are able to frequent the teahouse as a form of leisure. In the background, it appears to be springtime because of the greenery and leftover snow on the mountain. Spring is often used as a symbol of peace because of the regrowth that occurs in nature. The absence of war and violence during the Tokugawa is clearly represented in the Tokaido Yoshida. The Sunset Across the Ryogoku Bridge over the Sumida River at Onmayagashi shows aspects of the prosperity of the Tokugawa period. While the Tokugawa was a time of relative peace, many controls were implemented to discourage any type of rebellion among the daimyo. The most important of these is the sankin kotai, or Alternate Attendance System. The system required all daimyo to build a residence in Edo, live there for a large part of every year, and to leave their wives and children in Edo at all