Ishiyakushi, which was six miles south of Yokkaichi, derived its name from a stone statue of the Buddha Yakushi in a temple called the Seifuku-ji. According to legend, the statue was carved from natural rock by Kōbō Daishi, the founder of the Japanese Shingon Sect of Buddhism, and was particularly effective as a guardian against misfortune. Since Kōbō Daishi, who died in the ninth century, was perhaps the most famous of all Japanese priests, works of all sorts are attributed to him practically everywhere in Japan, and the story about the stone Buddha at Ishiyakushi, is doubtless pure fable, but the statue attracted many worshipers from the surrounding area.
This is one of the least popular prints in the Tokaido series, because of its rather ordinary subject matter, but as a quiet, peaceful portrayal of a typical Japanese countryside setting, it has much to recommend it. In many ways it resembles the print entitled "Evening Bells at Ikegami " in Hiroshige's Eight Scenes in the Suburbs of Edo.