Because the Oi River was a key point on the Tokaido Highway, Hiroshige portrayed it twice - once from the Suruga side and then from the Enshu side. For strategic reasons of defense, the Edo feudal government did not authorize either the construction of a bridge or ferry services across this river. On the river bank viewed from above, some porters are resting between crossings while a dozen of their colleagues carry with great care the litter of some important personage, perhaps a feudal lord. The two groups make an interesting contrast. Despite the minute size of these human figures, Hiroshige portrays them with consummate skill.