Ryōgoku After the Fire
- Date:
- 1881 (Meiji 14)
- Medium:
- Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 24.4 × 35.9 cm
- Source:
- Harvard Art Museums
Description
In the aftermath of a major 1881 blaze, Kiyochika surveys the charred remains of the Ryōgoku district — a neighbourhood celebrated for its fireworks, riverside teahouses, and the great bridge spanning the Sumida. Scorched timbers and collapsed eaves occupy the foreground while survivors pick through the wreckage under a pale, smoke-hazed sky. The print belongs to a cluster of fire reportage works that demonstrate Kiyochika's role as a visual chronicler of Meiji Tokyo's fragility alongside its modernisation.
More Prints by Kobayashi Kiyochika
More Urban Scenes Prints
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)"
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)"
1930
Color lithograph
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ryōgoku After the Fire was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親) in 1881 (Meiji 14).
Ryōgoku After the Fire depicts urban scenes, landscapes, and rivers & lakes.
Ryōgoku After the Fire measures 24.4 × 35.9 cm (Oban format).