Quoting from the Traganou:
The major characteristic of the map is its combining precise topographical descriptions with vigorous details of life. Indeed, the illustrations added by Moronobu transformed the map into a vivid pictorial illustration of the culture of traveling in the Edo period. Such illustrations focus on the celebrated ‘floating’ aspects of the culture of the road, elements that are ephemeral and changeable. The map depicts various types of travelers, including daimyō processions and commoners traveling back and forth, as well as incidents for which the Tōkaidō was well known in popular culture. It is interesting to note the close similarities in the ways figures of travelers are drawn between this map and the Dōchūki of 1655, a guidebook that was published a few years before Tōkaidō bunken ezu’s first edition, which will be examined in the following chapter (see Figure 18). The map also depicts meteorological conditions such as the Ōi River in flood, snow on Mount Fuji and rain in Hara, which is a typical preoccupation of ukiyo-e iconography. A major difference between this map and our contemporary geographical standards is the depiction of certain, important geographical elements more than once. As Nitschke has noticed, Mount Fuji appears on the map more than ten times at spots from which it is visible (Nitschke 1993:54). To this we should add the repeated appearance of Mount Ōyama, famous in the popular mythology of Edo (Traganou, 38).
The Tōkaidō as a megalopolis plays an essential role throughout the history of Japanese cultural geography and anthropology. Therefore, many maps depict the route information of the Tōkaidō, which provides travel information for people and easy to carry on the road. Despite maps that guide the route for people on the road, it has another type of maps that highly meticulously make with the painting of details. This kind of map is usually a kind of painting artwork and very lengthy, which is not easy for people to carry on the road. Tōkaidō bunken nozu is a proportional map of the Tōkaidō, which is one of the most popular maps of the Edo Era. Tōkaidō bunken nozu is a map that uses the description of the terrain as the background depicts the details of people’s lives. The whole map is divided into five folded volumes with the continuity of art appreciation. Although the rivers, mountains, and other essential landmarks are carefully marked on the map, it is still perceived that this map’s goal is not to help people find the route, mainly based on there is no minutia depict of streets and alleys. In particular, this map is more like a guidebook that provides local entertainment and traditional customs for tourists. For example, the map accurately marks the four directions and tagging all the local famous scenic spots, such as post station, rivers, mountains. The local entertainment buildings, such as teahouse, temples, and shrines, are also marks on the map.
Moreover, there are many impressive figures of vivid people drawn on the map. Some of them are passers-by in a hurry walking on the road alone. Some wealthy people were carried along the road in sedan chairs by servants. On the docks, some people are moving their luggage for the boat. These vivid and detailed depictions tell the real-life of traveling in the Edo era and convey culture and convention to people through the map.
Furthermore, these elements make this map more likely to be a travel guidebook, promoting local customs and practices to tourists, such as point out beautiful scenery, highlight the recreation facilities and the local way of life. Besides, another detail is the repeated appearance of Mount Fuji on the map. First, it might because there were no many high buildings and large mansions at that time, and due to the height id Mount Fuji, it is more likely for people to see it from different directions. The more reasonable guess is selecting these places corresponds to Mount Fuji’s stereotypical representations as seen in meisho literature and arts (Traganou, 38). Therefore, this map combines the accurate description of the terrain and the vivid detail of people’s lives, making the map an artwork with delight to view and cultural diffusion.