Print: Eitai Bridge and Kiyosu Bridge, 1928

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Past Exhibitions

TOKYO: THE IMPERIAL CAPITAL


Eitai Bridge and Kiyosu Bridge, September 1928
Koizumi Kishio (Japanese, 1893–1945)
Tokyo
Color woodblock print
11 3/4 x 15 3/8" (29.8 x 39.1 cm)
Credit: The Wolfsonian–Florida International University, Miami Beach, The Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Collection 
TD1993.69.1.107
Photo: Silvia Ros

In the fall of 1928, Koizumi launched his print portfolio with this view of two bridges spanning the Sumida River, the Eitai and the Kiyosu. The newly built bridges became a powerful symbol of the city's reconstruction. These ultra-modern steel structures, which were enhanced by electric lights, replaced the graceful wooden structures immortalized by Ando Hiroshige (1797–1858), a celebrated nineteenth-century printmaker. The Eitai Bridge (Bridge of Eternal Ages) was itself a symbol of Tokyo's emergence as a modern, industrial city. It connected the city's downtown with the industrial section across the river. The young woman and young men dressed in stylish, Western clothing complement the modern appearance of the city.

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