Shinbashi Station 70 Years Ago

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Publisher:: Watanabe Shozaburo
Edition:

Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Source:

Typical Price

Shinsui's extensive oeuvre spans bijin-ga, landscapes, and genre subjects. Auction averages over 12 months reflect healthy collector demand across all subject types.

Later postwar editions: $500–$1,500
Lifetime editions, good condition: $1,500–$5,000
Rare or early exceptional subjects: $5,000–$15,000

Description

The historic Shinbashi railway station of seventy years prior—meaning the original 1872 station that opened Japan's first railway line—is recreated in this undated print as a nostalgic urban history subject. The original Shinbashi terminus was demolished in the 1910s when the line was extended and the station rebuilt, making the "70 years ago" subject a deliberate act of historical reconstruction. Shinsui's engagement with urban historical subjects places this work in a different category from both his contemporary [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) and his scenic landscape prints.