Benkei Bridge, Akasaka (Akasaka Benkeibashi)
by Kawase Hasui
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Scholten Japanese Art
- Image courtesy of
- Scholten Japanese Art
Description
This print depicts Benkeibashi, a stone bridge spanning the outer moat of the former Edo Castle grounds in the Akasaka district of Tokyo. Hasui likely framed the bridge against a luminous sky reflected in the still moat water below, a compositional device he used frequently in his urban Tokyo series. The shallow curve of the bridge arch and its mirrored reflection create a characteristic oval form. The surrounding embankments may be rendered with willow or cherry trees depending on the season. Published by Kawaguchi Shōzō or Watanabe Shōzaburō, this meisho-e subject documents the gradual transformation of Edo-era infrastructure into the modern city of Tokyo, a recurring theme in Hasui's work of the 1930s and 1940s.
More Prints by Kawase Hasui
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
Benkei Bridge, Akasaka (Akasaka Benkeibashi) was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水).
Benkei Bridge, Akasaka (Akasaka Benkeibashi) depicts landscapes.