<b>SHINBASHI AT NIGHT</b> / Kazuma Oda1929<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

This striking bridge at night was located in the Shinbashi area of Tokyo, near Ginza. The bridge was built during the Meiji period when many of Tokyo’s brick or steel bridges were erected. In Oda’s print, the bridge is shown as substantial and heroic, holding up the composition as dozens of pedestrians traverse its elegant form. Oda was fascinated by Japan’s radical changing landscape and dedicated much of his body of work to document the transformation of Japanese cities. It is interesting to note this bridge no longer stands. The river has been filled and a single lamppost, the one to the viewer’s left in the design, is all that remains of the view captured in this piece.

Connoisseur's Note

This design is part of the series, Ginza, self-printed in 1929 and executed in an run of 20. In addition to a striking image, this design also provides an excellent account of Japan's rise toward modernism. As such, it is an early representation of the completion of large-scale public works which make it that much more appealing to collectors.