View of Ryogoku Bridge

Artist Shotei Hokuju (Japanese, active 1789 - 1818)

Publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi (Japanese)

Publisher Eijudô (Japanese)

Place of OriginJapan

PeriodEdo period (1615-1868)

CultureJapanese

MaterialsInk and colors on paper

DimensionsH. 10 3/8 in x W. 15 1/4 in, H. 26.4 cm x W. 38.7 cm (ōban)

Credit LineGift of the Grabhorn Ukiyo-e Collection

Object number2005.100.104

DepartmentJapanese Art

ClassificationsPrints And Drawings

On View

Not on view

SignedSignature: 昇亭北寿画 Shōtei Hokuju ga

MarkingsPublisher’s mark: 永寿板 Eiju han Censor’s mark: 極 kiwame

More Information

Prints of the famous sites of Edo became popular among print buyers in the first decades of the nineteenth century. This urban landscape shows a view from the west bank of the Sumida River across the Ryōgoku Bridge. The towering structure in the foreground is a mat-covered stall used for side-shows including exotic animals, curiosities, circus performances, and acrobats. A second tower appears on the far side of the river, beside the roof of Ekō’in, a memorial temple dedicated to those who perished in the Great Meireki Fire of 1657 — and also the site of sumo matches in the Edo period. A bustling crowd fills the shopping and entertainment district at the base of the bridge, while pleasure boats float past on the river. Here and there parasols ward off the heat of a summer afternoon. A student of Hokusai, Hokuju was active during the Bunka era (1804–1817). Several aspects of the print point to his familiarity with Western copperplate engravings available in Japan at that time: the low horizon; the expansive, mist-streaked sky and puffy white clouds; his use of two-point perspective (in the bridge); the shadows cast by the buildings, boats, and figures; and the scratchy parallel lines of the stall roofs, which imitate the look of cross-hatching and engraved lines.