Nihonbashi Bridge — 日本橋(夜明)

Hasui's Nihonbashi at dawn (日本橋 夜明) is a recurring subject that drew the artist's attention across multiple editions and printings. This impression shows the famous stone bridge spanning the Nihonbashi River in the moments before full daylight, the sky layered in graduated tones from cool blue overhead to pale amber at the waterline. The symmetrical arch of the bridge serves as the compositional anchor, its reflection broken by the gentle current below. Flanking structures — the wholesale district storehouses characteristic of central Tokyo — provide vertical framing elements. The print belongs to Hasui's broader project of documenting meisho landmarks of the capital, a tradition with deep roots in Hiroshige's Edo series. Watanabe Shozaburo published multiple editions of this design, with this example representing an early state of the composition.