The series Fifty-three Pairings for the Tokaido Road is a collection of 55 prints illustrating the 53 stations along the Tokaido, the road that connected the shogunate capital of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with the imperial capital of Kyoto. This series incorporates depictions of each station, along with explanations of local legends, historical events, and notable features specific to each area. This collaboration was undertaken by three leading ukiyo-e masters of the 19th century: Utagawa Kunisada (1786–1865), Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), and Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861), all prominent artists from the Utagawa school.

Nissaka, the 25th station along the Tokaido, is located in modern-day Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture. This scene illustrates the legend of the “Weeping Stone at Night (J. Yonaki-ishi).” According to the tale, a pregnant woman, returning from a temple where she prayed for a safe delivery, was attacked and killed by bandits on the treacherous Sayo Pass. Her spirit, determined to save the child that was born from her split abdomen, inhabited a nearby stone, where it began to cry. A monk, hearing the weeping, found the baby and raised it, feeding the infant syrup. Unaware of these events, the woman’s husband, who had been away at war, returned home and heard the eerie story of the “Weeping Stone.” Out of curiosity, he passed by the stone one night, only to be visited by his wife’s spirit, who recounted the tragic events and entrusted the child to him. The story of the “Weeping Stone” at Nissaka was widely known, as it even appeared in Utagawa Hiroshige’s famous series Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido, attesting to its popularity during the Edo period.