1873 Kuniteru II Ukiyo-e Triptych View of Nihonbashi, Tokyo

An engaging 1873 Ukiyo-e triptych produced by Kuniteru II depicting the new Nihonbashi Bridge in Central Tokyo. The most culturally significant bridge in Japan, the historical terminus of the Tōkaidō highway, the Edo-era arched bridge had been replaced by a Western-style flat bridge the year before this print's publication, both a practically and symbolically important change.

A Closer Look

Oriented towards the northeast, this view focuses on the historically significant Nihonbashi Bridge in central Tokyo. More specifically, it highlights the replacement of the preceding arched bridge with a Western-style flat bridge with balustrades, built to accommodate the increasing number of horse-drawn carriages and rickshaws, which are separated from pedestrians by a divider. The view presents a bustle of activity as people, carriages, and, on water, boats scurry in different directions. Although most figures retain traditional Japanese garments, including two samurai at right, others have partially incorporated elements of Western-style clothing or completely adopted the once-foreign vestments.

Additional bridges (江戸橋 Edobashi and 荒布橋 Aramebashi) are labeled in the background. The building on the right is the telegraph office (電信局), with raised telegraph lines running parallel to the bridge. As it focuses on the new bridge and includes elements of changes in Tokyo brought by Western influence, this work could be considered part of the kaika-e subgenre of ukiyo-e.

Nihonbashi (日本橋) - Geographic and Cultural Center of Tokyo

The Nihonbashi Bridge was originally built in 1603 during the Edo period. It served as a vital point in the Gokaidō, the five main roads connecting the capital, Edo (now Tokyo), with other parts of Japan. The bridge was the eastern terminus of the Tōkaidō, the most important of these roads. All distances in Japan were once measured from this point, and it is still commonly used as a reference point for distances on roads and highways. The bridge gave its name to the surrounding district in central Tokyo, close to the imperial palace, which was a major commercial center in the Edo period. Due to its importance, Nihonbashi also took on a profound cultural significance, not quite to the level of Mt. Fuji, but still something that nearly all Japanese would recognize and associate with the capital. As a result, the bridge has been depicted in many works of art, including ukiyo-e prints by masters such as Hokusai and Hiroshige, and here by Kuniteru II.

The original 1603 bridge was made of wood and it, along with several replacements, burned in various fires in the Edo period. As mentioned above, this view is significant because it highlights the replacement of the last Edo-era arched bridge with a flat Western-style bridge. In 1911, the bridge seen here was replaced by a stone and brass structure that still stands today.

Kaika-e (開化繪)

Kaika-e is the Edo / Tokyo equivalent of the Yokohama-e (橫濱繪) genre, depicting foreigners and foreign technologies in the wake of Japan's forcible opening to the world in the 1850s. The phrase 'kaika' is an abbreviation of bunmei-kaika (文明開化), meaning 'civilization and enlightenment,' a slogan and guiding philosophy of the early Meiji period. Kaika-e became especially popular in the 1870s and were encouraged by the Meiji government as a way of advertising the modernization of the new regime's capital city. As with Yokohama-e, common themes included Western-style or hybrid architecture, clothing, and new modes of transportation, as well as scenes of Japanese and foreigners fraternizing amicably.

Publication History and Census

This view was prepared by Kuniteru II and published by Iseya Kanekichi in 1873. It is quite rare; we note examples held by the Tokyo Metropolitan Library, the National Institute of Japanese Literature, and the Japanese Postal Museum. It should not be confused with Hiroshige III's similarly titled 1875 triptych 'Famous Places of Tokyo No. 1 True View of the Eitaibashi Bridge' (東京第一名所 永代橋之真景), also published by Iseya.