The subject of this 'uchiwa-e' (rigid fan print) design by Hiroshige is the Kegon Waterfall. It plunges for the best part of a hundred metres and is one of Japan's most famous waterfalls. You can see how the abstract quality of Hiroshige's composition adds to the sense of spectacle. The waterfall is situated to the immediate east of Lake Chuzenji in what is now the Nikko National Park in north-western Tochigi Prefecture. Long known as a religious centre, Nikko became a major focus of pilgrimage following the completion of the Toshogu Shrine in 1636. The Toshogu Shrine contained the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. It was a key symbol of the authority of the country's military leadership. Nikko was reached by the Nikko Kaido. Like the Tokaido and Kisokaido highways, it was officially administered and had a series of post-stations along its length.