Utagawa Hiroshige III
1871 (Meiji 4)
Donated by Tanba Tsuneo
Basing the new roads from the predominant roads which the Ainu used, the route was constructed with the guidance of the Ainu.
The supervision of operations at the site was carried out by attendants of holy priest Genyo, but the prior planning of the routes was compiled by Matsūra Takeshirō of the Hokkaido Development Commission in Tokyo. Matsūra Takeshirō was an explorer active in the lands of the Ainu during the last days of the Shogunate, and was quite friendly with the Ainu people, and is known for being the person who coined the name “Hokkaido.” Matsūra went by the alias of “Person from Hokkaido.”