The Sumida River at night receives one of Kiyochika's most atmospheric treatments in this circa 1881 nishiki-e. A single boat crosses the dark water while lantern light from riverside establishments reflects in wavering columns on the surface. The composition pares the scene to near-abstraction: a few bold silhouettes, a strip of luminous water, and an ink-dark sky — a distillation of the nocturnal riverside Tokyo that Kiyochika chronicled more intimately than any of his contemporaries.
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
A Night at Sumida River was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親) in ca. 1881.
A Night at Sumida River depicts landscapes, rivers & lakes, and night scenes, set at Sumida River.
A Night at Sumida River measures 24.1 × 36.2 cm (Oban format).
