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Kobayashi Kiyochika
Outbreak of Fire Seen from Hisamatsu-cho

Outbreak of Fire Seen from Hisamatsu-cho by Kobayashi Kiyochika — Japanese Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, 1881 (Meiji 14)

Outbreak of Fire Seen from Hisamatsu-cho

by Kobayashi Kiyochika

Meiji/Taishō Prints

Urban Scenes Landscapes Night Scenes

Date:: 1881 (Meiji 14)
Medium:: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Format:: Oban
Dimensions:: 24.3 × 36.4 cm
Source:: Art Institute of Chicago

Typical Price

Scarce early Meiji Tokyo scene or kosen-ga (light-picture) in excellent condition: $8,000–$30,000
Fine atmospheric night or light-ray scene: $2,000–$8,000
Good condition early Tokyo print: $500–$2,000

Description

From the vantage point of Hisamatsu-chō, a residential district of eastern Tokyo, Kiyochika documents an 1881 conflagration consuming the city skyline. Fire was a recurring menace in Meiji Tokyo, and Kiyochika recorded several such disasters with the unflinching immediacy of a reporter. Columns of orange and crimson flame billow against an ink-black sky, the reflected glow turning the canal waters below into molten copper.

More Prints by Kobayashi Kiyochika

The Bureau of Industry Building at Kammeidome by Kobayashi Kiyochika

The Bureau of Industry Building at Kammeidome

Woodblock print

View of Ariakero, Imado, from by Kobayashi Kiyochika

View of Ariakero, Imado, from

Woodblock print

Taro Inari Shrine at the Asakusa Ricefields — 浅草田甫太郎稲荷 by Kobayashi Kiyochika

Taro Inari Shrine at the Asakusa Ricefields — 浅草田甫太郎稲荷

Woodblock print

The great victory of our Naval forces near Phung-to in Korea by Kobayashi Kiyochika

The great victory of our Naval forces near Phung-to in Korea

Woodblock print

More Urban Scenes Prints

A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo: Kiyonaga's Pipe (Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Kiyonaga no kiseru) by Paul Binnie

A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo: Kiyonaga's Pipe (Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Kiyonaga no kiseru)

Woodblock print

View of Kabuki Theater from Matsuya (Ginza Matsuya yori Kabukiza), no. 3 from the series "Pictures of Ginza, First Series (Gashu Ginza dai isshu)" by Oda Kazuma

View of Kabuki Theater from Matsuya (Ginza Matsuya yori Kabukiza), no. 3 from the series "Pictures of Ginza, First Series (Gashu Ginza dai isshu)"

1928

Color lithograph

Distant View of Mitsukoshi Movie Theater in Shinjuku from the Sixth Floor of Hoteiya (Hoteiya rokkai kara Shinjuku Mitsukoshi Musashi no kan enbo zu), no. 1 from the series "Scenery of Shinjuku (Gashu Shinjuku fukei)" by Oda Kazuma

Distant View of Mitsukoshi Movie Theater in Shinjuku from the Sixth Floor of Hoteiya (Hoteiya rokkai kara Shinjuku Mitsukoshi Musashi no kan enbo zu), no. 1 from the series "Scenery of Shinjuku (Gashu Shinjuku fukei)"

1930

Color lithograph

Spring Dusk at the Tōshō Shrine in Ueno by Kawase Hasui

Spring Dusk at the Tōshō Shrine in Ueno

1948

Woodblock print, ink and color on paper

Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Mount Fuji in Japanese Woodblock Prints Meisho-e: Famous-Place Prints

Frequently Asked Questions

Outbreak of Fire Seen from Hisamatsu-cho was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親) in 1881 (Meiji 14).

Outbreak of Fire Seen from Hisamatsu-cho depicts urban scenes, landscapes, and night scenes.

Outbreak of Fire Seen from Hisamatsu-cho measures 24.3 × 36.4 cm (Oban format).