Mysterious Footsteps

"They thew open the critter-cage window and waited for the next passerby, but the path became difficult to see in the growing darkness."

• The upper third of the illustration is the second story of the Hokukoku store:

  • The blind diviner is the second from the right and is holding a hitoegiri (一節取) flute.​

  • The leftmost man has an unusually bent neck, a characteristic feature of Saikaku's drawings.

  • The other men are listening to the passersby below.

• The bottom two-thirds of the illustration depict the travelers the blind man can "see."  From left to right:​​

  • A man assisting a midwife​

  • A maid carrying a young girl on her back

  • A person using stilts with bird-like feet.

  • A female rice vendor disguised as a warrior, with her porter struggling to keep up with her.​