True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Susaki

This print from Yasuji's 'True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo' series depicts Susaki, a low-lying coastal peninsula at the mouth of the Sumida River in the Fukagawa district. During the Meiji period, Susaki retained a semi-rural character defined by tidal flats, fishing activity, and the Benzaiten shrine that drew both pilgrims and pleasure-seekers. Following the approach absorbed from his teacher Kobayashi Kiyochika, Yasuji likely rendered the open water and expansive sky with graded bokashi gradations, contrasting the stillness of the bay against modest human presence along the shore. The composition would place the horizontal waterline low, allowing the sky to dominate in the manner characteristic of Meiji meisho-e documenting Tokyo's rapidly changing geography. Susaki's marshlands were progressively reclaimed during this era, making such documentary views historically significant records of terrain that no longer exists. The oban-format print balances the working waterfront with the atmospheric qualities of coastal light.