Triptych: Improved Azuma Bridge, Meiji period, 1887
by Inoue Yasuji
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban triptych
- Source:
- Harvard Art Museums
Typical Price
$1,000–$8,000. Common views: $1,000–$2,500. Key value factors: Inoue's Meiji-era Tokyo views, influenced by his teacher Kiyochika, have both artistic and historical value. His early death makes works scarce.
Description
The Triptych of the Improved Azuma Bridge from 1887 depicts the iconic Sumida River crossing at the moment of its Meiji-era reconstruction, spread across three sheets to capture the full sweep of the bridge, the river, and the city beyond. The panoramic format allows Yasuji to document not just the bridge itself but the urban landscape it connects: the Asakusa entertainment district on the western bank and the Honjo lowlands to the east. The 1887 date places this work among the last prints of his tragically brief career, executed when he was just twenty-three years old.
More Prints by Inoue Yasuji
The Emperor Meiji and Empress in a Carriage during their Silver Wedding Anniversary Celebration at Aoyama
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Asakusa Hirokoji Broadway
Woodblock print
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Taro Inari Shrine in Asakusa-tanbo
Woodblock print
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: The Burnt Remains of Ryogokubashi Bridge
Woodblock print
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Triptych: Improved Azuma Bridge, Meiji period, 1887 was created by Inoue Yasuji (井上安治).
Triptych: Improved Azuma Bridge, Meiji period, 1887 depicts landscapes and bridges.