Station No. 1, Snowy Dawn at Nihonbashi

Artist Keisai Eisen (Japanese, 1790 - 1848)

Publisher Takenouchi Magohachi (Japanese)

Publisher Hōeidō (Japanese)

Place of OriginJapan

Date1835

CultureJapanese

MaterialsInk and colors on paper

DimensionsH. 9 1/2 in x W. 14 3/8 in, H. 24.1 cm x W. 36.5 cm (ōban)

Credit LineGift of the Grabhorn Ukiyo-e Collection

Object number2005.100.119

DepartmentJapanese Art

ClassificationsPrints And Drawings

On View

Not on view

SignedSignature: 英泉画 Eisen ga

MarkingsPublisher’s mark: 竹内 Takenouchi; 保永堂版 Hōeidō han

More Information

Eisen deftly captures the bustling atmosphere of a cold winter morning on Nihonbashi Bridge in the center of Edo. Two redcheeked women stop to converse as the sun rises over the river, which is lined on both sides with a succession of snow-covered warehouses. Stripped almost bare to heave a towering cart across the bridge, two laborers provide a striking contrast to travelers—a monk and samurai among others—who are bundled against the frigid air. At the bridge’s base, the morning fish market is in full swing: a porter hefts a basket of horse mackerel to his shoulder, another man balances two giant tuna on a pole, and a clerk peers at his ledge amid baskets piled with flounder and shellfish.