Environs of the Mitsukoshi Department Store, from the series One Hundred Views of New Tokyo (Shin Tokyo hyakkei), Shôwa period, dated 1931

Dated 1931, this entry in the One Hundred Views of New Tokyo series depicts the area surrounding the Mitsukoshi department store, one of Tokyo's most famous commercial establishments. Mitsukoshi traces its origins to a dry goods shop founded in 1673, and by the 1930s its Nihonbashi flagship had become a symbol of modern consumer culture, complete with a Renaissance-style facade and the bronze lion sculptures that still guard its entrance. Fujimori captures the bustling energy of the streets around this commercial landmark, where shoppers, streetcars, and modern buildings created scenes that would have been unimaginable a generation earlier. The woodblock rendering of this modern retail environment tests the medium's capacity to document contemporary urban life rather than the historical subjects traditionally associated with Japanese prints.