Hand painted silk scarf/shawl

[Sawbones]

I hope someone here can help me...
Years back, my Wife was at a thrift store and found a silk shawl with this painting on it. In a turn of fate, I was selling a motorcycle and a guy with a heavy Japanese accent turned up to buy it. I felt awkward and didn't want to impose, but I asked him if he could take a look at it. He told me it's old and has something to do with Tokaido Road in Japan. He said it was hard to guess at the name of the artist so I didn't push for it. I'm glad for just what he could give me and I didn't want to come off as offensive or something. I did some looking around and found some info on what this could portray. I'd like to know more about this though. I think it would be Mt. Fuji in the background. On the far bank, it looks like way stations for travelers. On the river there is a boat. I believe that would be a ferry to get travelers across the water. On the near bank is a guy smoking a pipe and a person standing near him. I searched for "Tokaido Road Japan Mt. Fuji" and found a sort of similar, albeit more detailed, painting. I'd love to have a name for this artist. Anything that anyone can tell me would be much appreciated. I attached a painting of travelers crossing the River Oi. It has some similar elements.
Thanks you!

 

[Majestic]

The writing says
東海道
川崎

Tōkaidō
Kawasaki.

Kawasaki is one of the stations of the Tōkaidō. It is just outside of Tokyo, and yes that is Mt. Fuji in the background.

Kawasaki-juku - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Sawbones]

The writing says
東海道
川崎

Tōkaidō
Kawasaki.

Kawasaki is one of the stations of the Tōkaidō. It is just outside of Tokyo, and yes that is Mt. Fuji in the background.

Kawasaki-juku - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

This really is a strange turn of fate. Would you care to guess the make of motorcycle the guy bought from me?

I wonder if I unfolded it might I find the artists signature. Thanks for the info!

 

[Grandpa Frank]

That is a nice find !

 

[Sawbones]

View attachment 85145 That is a nice find !

I really love it. BTW I didn't write on it, I wrote "Tokaido" on the glass so I don't forget.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Just a shot in the dark , LOL.

 

[Majestic]

Let the good times roll!
I can't find the artist's name on there. Well, to be perfectly clear, "Kawasaki" can actually be a surname as well as a location name (and a motorcycle name), so there is a chance that Kawasaki is actually the artist's name instead of the location.
BUT... given that the scarf clearly says Tōkaidō in Japanese, and since it shows a river-crossing with Mt. Fuji in the background, I'm sure that the Kawasaki written on the scarf is a reference to the place (and is not the name of the artist).

 

[Sawbones]

View attachment 85147 Just a shot in the dark , LOL.

Yep you got it!

 

[Sawbones]

Let the good times roll!
I can't find the artist's name on there. Well, to be perfectly clear, "Kawasaki" can actually be a surname as well as a location name (and a motorcycle name), so there is a chance that Kawasaki is actually the artist's name instead of the location.
BUT... given that the scarf clearly says Tōkaidō in Japanese, and since it shows a river-crossing with Mt. Fuji in the background, I'm sure that the Kawasaki written on the scarf is a reference to the place (and is not the name of the artist).

"Travelers Crossing the River Oi" has some similar elements. A river crossing with Mt. Fuji in the background, and the slope of the bank on the near side. This shawl isn't nearly as detailed but I wonder if the both artists might have been in nearly the same place. I'm seriously thinking about taking it out now and having another look in case there might be a small signature elsewhere that I missed.

 

[Sawbones]

I had another thought. The detail seems lacking on this shawl or scarf or whatever you'd call it. Could this be a souvenir of the Kawasaki station? If "Kawasaki" is the station name and the artists were cranking these out as fast as they could, that might explain the lack of detail and signature.

 

[mdchachi]

It's probably a mass market/mass produced item. It's possible it was a souvenir picked up in Kawasaki. Kawasaki is not really tourist town but I imagine it has/had a few areas where they may have been souvenirs related to Kawasaki/Tokaido such as the local museum.

 

[Majestic]

Yes, I wouldn't overthink it. It's a souvenir item from Japan, using a nostalgic image of Japan in the olden days. Not necessarily picked up in Kawasaki itself. Kawasaki was pretty industrial by the mid 1900s. Many artists have used a view of Mt. Fuji from this (and other) locations in the past.

The crossing of the river Oi is depicting the 25th stage of the Tōkaidō highway, farther down south and to the west from Kawasaki. Kawasaki is the 2nd stage.