The Ferry Crossing on Reclaimed land at Kachidoki — 築地 かちどきの渡し

Ishiwata Koitsu (1897–1987) was a [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) artist who trained under Hiroshi Yoshida and worked within the tradition of landscape printmaking that Yoshida helped define. This print depicts the Kachidoki ferry crossing, which operated on reclaimed land along the Sumida River near Tsukiji in Tokyo, carrying passengers across the waterway before the construction of the Kachidoki Bridge in 1940. The ferry was a fixture of working-class Tokyo life, and Koitsu's rendering likely captures boats against the industrial waterfront with atmospheric handling of sky and water characteristic of Watanabe-school printing. The title's reference to reclaimed land situates the scene in the rapidly transforming geography of interwar Tokyo, where land reclamation was reshaping the city's relationship with its waterways. Koitsu's prints frequently document urban Tokyo scenes that have since been erased by development, giving this image added documentary value alongside its aesthetic one.