Ashikaga Gyodosan Kumo-no-kake-hashi / Shokoku Meikyo Kiran

Medium:

Woodblock print

Format:

Oban

Source:

British Museum

Typical Price

Later reprint (Meiji–Taisho era publishers): $100–$600
Good later impression (Edo-period, worn block lines): $5,000–$20,000
Good early impression (sharp lines, strong color): $15,000–$60,000
Fine early impression (exceptional clarity and condition): $60,000–$150,000

From Hokusai's Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces (c.1834), an 11-print series showcasing engineering feats from across Japan. The Kintai Bridge and Suspension Bridge designs command the highest prices.

Description

Ashikaga's Unmo-no-kakehashi — the Cloud-bridge of Gyodosan — appears in this print from the Shokoku Meikyo Kiran (Famous Bridges of the Provinces) series. Located in Shimotsuke Province (modern Tochigi), the bridge at Gyodosan was associated with mountain asceticism and the sacred landscape of the Ashikaga region, lending a spiritual dimension to its depiction as a place of dramatic natural setting.