File:Cotton-Transport-Ships-Racing-to-Edo-from-Aji-River-Osaka-by-Gansuitei-Yoshitoyo-c1855.png

English: Title: "Cotton Transport Ships Racing to Edo Set Sail from the Mouth of the (Aji) River" (Higaki shinmen bansen kawaguchi shuppan no zu). Late Edo Period (Ansei) circa 1855. This nishiki-e depicts the scene where the Higaki Kaisen loaded with new cotton gathers on the banks of Aji River in Osaka and is about to set sail. The author is Yoshitoyo Gansuitei, an artist from Osaka who made paintings during the Ansei period. During the Edo period, a race was held once a year for the Higaki Kaisen, which carries the new cotton produced in the fall of that year from Osaka to Edo. This is called the "new cotton guard ship", and this figure is a live drawing of the departure. The scene where the crew receives the certificate (stamp) of the number ship participating in the race and the depiction of rushing to row the ferry to the stamp delivery place give a sense of urgency at the time of departure, and the appearance of the spectators gives an atmosphere of festivities. As with the "New Cotton Bansen," there was a "New Sake Bansen" in the race between ships that carried goods to Edo. The same liveliness would have been seen on the new sake bansen starting from Nishinomiya. Products from all over the country were transported by water to the warehouses of each clan, and Osaka was later called the City of Water. This is a testament of Osaka's bustling shipping industry.