The sweeping zigzag of the Towboat Canal is another of Hiroshige's creative adaptations of the diagonal; in reality this waterway was straight. Its initial use as a source for drinking water in the Fukagawa district was abandoned, and the waterway was instead harnessed for the local farmers' transportation needs. By the time of this print, it was also used as a shortcut by travelers from Edo to northeast regions. As it was the only towboat canal in Edo, a certain cachet was associated with traveling this way, rather than being rowed or pushed, as was common on other waterways.