Lake Ashi

This is the post town of Hakone as seen from what was once the Hakone barrier station. The buildings on the banks of Lake Ashinoko are part of the thatched roofed building complex, the honjin. The large structures with thatched roofs to the right are officially appointed inns (Honjin). Feudal lords stayed or rested here during the Sankinkoutai (A bi-annual period of madatory alternate residence in Edo for feudal lords, known as Daimyo). The mountain in the background is Mt. Kurakake. There appear to be craftsmen looking at the lake in the foreground.==Date:unknown, Place:Hakone, Photo:R. Stillfried, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number77‐17‐0]