Mount Fuji on the Left at Nango (南湖の左富士)

Monument of Mount Fuji on the Left at Nango

There is a stone monument, engraved "南湖の左富士之碑 (Nango no Hidari-Fuji no Hi)," standing along National Route 1 next to Toriido Bridge (鳥井戸橋) in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture.  The phrase engraved translates to "Monument of Mount Fuji on the Left at Nango."

"Nango no Matsubara Hidari-Fuji" at the
Fujisawa Ukiyo-e Museum

Most of National Route 1 used to be Tokaido, a route organized during the early days of the Edo period connecting Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and Kyoto.  When heading west along Tokaido from Edo to Kyoto, Mount Fuji appeared on the right since the route ran south of Mount Fuji.  However, due to the curve of the route, there were two spots along Tokaido where Mount Fuji appeared on the left with one being Nango (南湖) in Chigasaki and the other being Yoshiwara (吉原) in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, today.

Mount Fuji on the left at Nango at sunset

Mount Fuji on the left at Nango has been depicted in a couple of ukiyo-e works, including "Nango no Matsubara Hidari-Fuji (南湖の松原左り不二)" from the series "Famous Sights of the Fifty-Three Stations (五十三次名所図会)*" by Utagawa Hiroshige published in 1855.  A copy of this ukiyo-e is on display at the Fujisawa Ukiyo-e Museum near Tsujido Station.

In 2004, this site was selected as one of the best 100 views of Mount Fuji in the Kanto Region (関東の富士見百景).  During the Meiji period, the view of the sunset from Toriido Bridge was selected as one of the best 8 views of Chigasaki.

* The sign placed next to the monument incorrectly states a different ukiyo-e series of "The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido (東海道五十三次)."