Bridge to the Imperial Palace (Nijubashi)

Artist/Culture Onchi Koshiro (Japanese, 1891–1955)

Date1945

Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper

Dimensions20 x 28 cm (7 7/8 x 11 in.)

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineMembers' Council Fund

Terms

Object number1987.79.1

DescriptionLocated in the heart of Tokyo, this double-arch stone bridge across the moat at the main entrance to the imperial palace at Nijubashi (pl. 29) survived the Great Kanto Earthquake. Tourists, unable to enter the palace precinct, consoled themselves with a view of it from this perspective, on the southeast side of the bridge. Existing photographs, postcards, and prints produced from the time the bridge was built in 1887 attest to its importance as one of the "best sightseeing places in Tokyo." Onchi places a willow tree in the foreground, obscuring our view of the bridge. The stone walls of the palace fill the left third of the design. Not interested in a literal portrayal, the artist uses his carving of the blocks and color to create texture and capture an impression of the famous landmark.
Onchi made thirteen prints (see pl. 17) for the series One Hundred Views of the New Tokyo, three of which were reproduced from the original blocks in Scenes of Lost Tokyo. The artists had agreed to allow reissuing the prints for sale at the U.S. Army Post Exchange in Tokyo. Due to shortages after the war, the paper is quite different from that used for the originals, and the effect is consequently flatter and less vibrant than in the first state.

Label TextScenes of Lost Tokyo (Tokyo Kaiko Zue), and album of 15 prints by various Creative Print (sosaku hanga) artists, included many prints made for the 1929-30 series 100 Scenes of The New Tokyo, which depicted the Tokyo rebuilt after the great Kanto earthquake of 1923. The artists agreed to allow reissuing the prints for sale in the United States Army (Ernie Pyle) Post Exchange. Due to paper shortages after the war, the paper is quite different from that of the originals and the effect is flatter and less vibrant than the first state.

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