The scene before you shows the Ōi River, once known as the greatest obstacle along the Tōkaidō Road.

Today, you can cross it by bridges in about ten minutes. During the Edo period, however, there were no bridges and no boats. The river was too wide and dangerous to bridge with the technology of the time, and it also served as a natural defense if enemies approached.

So how did people get across?

Travelers first bought a kawagoshi-fuda, a ticket for crossing the river. They then handed it over and allowed teams of strong porters to carry them through the rushing water.

As you look at the picture, you can see the porters making their way across the current while the travelers have no choice but to trust them completely.

But simply crossing the river was a matter of good fortune.

After heavy rain, the water rose quickly, and crossings stopped. Journeys came to a halt, sometimes for days. No one knew whether the wait would last one day, three days, or even ten.

Some travelers ran out of money. Others missed important appointments. Many must have looked up at the sky again and again, hoping the rain would stay away and that they could cross safely.

The famous illustrated guide to the Tōkaidō also shows people crossing the Ōi River. Lords, merchants, and pilgrims all faced the same obstacle. Before the power of nature, everyone was equal.

That is why people hoped.

The Ōi River was known as "the river that could not simply be crossed." Yet rivers are not the only obstacles we face. Each of us encounters moments that lie beyond our own strength. And perhaps, from the Edo period to the present day, one thing has never changed: when we reach those moments, we find ourselves looking up—and hoping.