「赤坂紀伊国坂」

「赤坂紀伊国坂」 (Kii no kuni-zaka in Akasaka) depicts the notable slope in the Akasaka district of Tokyo, one of many hillside streets that defined the varied topography of the Meiji capital. The Kii no kuni-zaka was a named incline connecting the lower districts to the elevated Akasaka plateau, frequented by pedestrians, rickshaws, and the occasional early Western-style conveyance that increasingly populated the Meiji streetscape. Kiyochika's treatment of a slope as subject matter suggests interest in the visual dynamic of receding perspective — figures ascending or descending against the diagonal of the roadway — combined with his characteristic attention to illumination conditions. The composition may capture the scene at a specific time of day or weather condition, using light effects to transform an ordinary thoroughfare into an atmospheric study. This type of meisho-e subject, nominally topographic, becomes in Kiyochika's hands primarily a study in mood and observed light.