Shortly after 1830 Hiroshige found occasion to travel from Yedo, the northern capital, to Kyoto, the southern capital, along the great post-road which he has immortalized--the Tokaido. There resulted his series of horizontal plates, "The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido," completed about 1834. This remains his best-known and unsurpassed work. Plate 53 is from this series. Each picture records with unfailing vividness and originality some famous scene along the crowded national highway. For reasons unknown to us, Hiroshige prepared new designs for some of the plates after the original publication of the series; and these variation-plates are of great interest to collectors. Of the many series that followed, only the most important can be named here. All are of horizontal shape unless otherwise designated. _Naniwa Meisho_, ten views of Osaka--chiefly crowded wharf and market scenes. _Kyoto Meisho_, ten views of Kyoto; a varied and delightful series containing many fine prints. [Illustration: HIROSHIGE: THE VILLAGE OF FUJI KAWA--EVENING SNOW. One of the Vertical Tokaido Series. Size 13½ × 9. Signed _Hiroshige ga_. _Plate 54._] _Omi Hakkei_, the Eight Famous Views of Lake Biwa; the most poetic and possibly the greatest of his works (Plate 52). _Kanazawa Hakkei_, the Eight Famous Views of the Inlet of Kanazawa; distinguished by a fine simplicity of composition. _Yedo Kinko Hakkei_, the Eight Famous Views of Yedo; a series of masterpieces, of great rarity. _Chiushingura_, sixteen scenes from the story of the Forty-seven Ronin; fine dramatic compositions, with powerful blacks and greys predominating. _Toto Meisho_ and _Yedo Meisho_, names under which more than fifty different series of Yedo views were issued by different publishers. These sets include many masterpieces. _Nihon Minato Tsukushi_, ten views of the Harbours of Japan. _Toto Meisho_, a series of narrow upright panels of Yedo; several are very distinguished. _Mu Tamagawa_, views of the Six Tama Rivers. _Series of Fishes._ _Kwa Cho_, upright panels of birds and flowers, some on full-sized sheets, others very narrow; uneven in quality, some being masterpieces (Plate 56). _Fan Prints_, with landscapes or bird designs. In the year 1842 began the so-called Prohibition Period of twelve years, when the sale of actor and courtesan prints was forbidden. The effect of this was to redouble the demand for landscape prints; and Hiroshige was called upon to supply it. This he did by issuing, among others, the following sets:-- _Tokaido Series_, published by Maruzei; next best to the "Great Tokaido Series" of 1834. _Tokaido Series_, published by Yesaki; slightly smaller than the "Great Series"; when well-printed, which is rare, they take a very high place. _Tokaido Series_, published by Sanoki, half-plate size; including many charming designs.