#35 Municipal Hall
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art of Japan
$500–$4,000. Common views: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: Koizumi's pre-war Tokyo views have historical significance. The 'One Hundred Views of New Tokyo' series is most collected.
Numbered 35 in a series, this [oban](/glossary/oban) woodblock print by Kishio Koizumi depicts the Municipal Hall, a modern civic building that represented the architectural face of Showa-era Tokyo. While most [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) artists gravitated toward temples, bridges, and natural scenery, Koizumi's inclusion of contemporary municipal architecture in his series reflects a commitment to documenting the full range of Tokyo's built environment, not just its picturesque historical remnants. The Western-style institutional building, with its symmetrical facade and modern construction materials, presented a different set of formal challenges than traditional Japanese architecture. Koizumi adapts the woodblock medium to render concrete, glass, and steel, materials far removed from the wood, tile, and thatch that the technique was developed to depict, proving the medium's versatility in capturing the modern city.
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
1932
Color woodblock print; oban
![Kiba Lumberyard along the River at Fukugawa (New Edition) [Fukagawa-ku, kiba no kawasuji (shinpan)], from the series "One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era (Showa dai Tokyo fukei hyaku zue hanga)" by Kishio Koizumi](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/f6380c15-6d23-c26a-899d-08ead4db792b/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
1940
Color woodblock print; oban
1932
Color woodblock print; oban
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
#35 Municipal Hall was created by Kishio Koizumi (小泉癸巳男).
#35 Municipal Hall depicts architecture.
