The Tōkaidō (海道 East Sea Road) was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name. The Nakasendo, another large highway which ran through the mountainous region between Edo and Kyoto joined the Tokaido at this station to form a single highway for the remainder of the highway to Kyoto. Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川 広重, 1797 - October 12, 1858) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, and one of the last great artists in that tradition. He was also referred to as Andō Hiroshige (安藤 広重) (an irregular combination of family name and art name) and by the art name of Ichiyūsai Hiroshige (一幽斎廣重).