Inoue Yasuji, "View of Reiganjima at Takahashi Bridge"

A remnant of old industrializing Japan, the steel beamed bridge at Reiganjima in Tokyo spans the Nihonbashi and Sumida River confluence in Chuo City. In this striking design by Inoue Yasuji the imposing bridge is silhouetted against a full moon and busy with pedestrians. The waterway bustles with boats going about their daily chores. The exquisite carving and printing of the moon's light casting its glow in the composition gives this work an amazing level of depth, detail, and atmosphere. A rare and fine early printing. 

Date: 1881
Size: AIban (image approx. 12.5" x 8")
Publisher: Fukada Kumajiro
Condition: Excellent/fine color and condition
Frame Shown: 16" x 24" x 1/2", Classic Wood, Ebony

Inoue Yasuji (1864-1889) was a student of the great Meiji-era artist Kobayashi Kiyochika, and like his master employed "Western" aesthetics into his works. His later works focused on more figurative designs of people in Japanese history. Yasuji died at an early age, cutting short his output to just a few hundred designs.