The Kiinokuni shops at Akasaka (Akasaka Kiinokunizaka) from an untitled series of views of Tokyo
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Legion of Honor
- Image courtesy of
- Legion of Honor
This [meisho-e](/glossary/meisho-e) depicts Kiinokunizaka, a gentle slope in the Akasaka district of Tokyo known for its row of lumber and goods merchants. Part of Kiyochika's untitled series of Tokyo views produced in the late 1870s and early 1880s, the composition captures the streetscape of a district undergoing Meiji-era commercial transformation. Kiyochika's signature [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations render the sky and atmosphere with the soft tonal transitions characteristic of his kosen-ga approach, while gas lamps or natural light cast the scene in a particular quality of illumination not found in Edo-period meisho-e traditions. The print records a specific urban locale with topographic specificity — the slope's angle, the shop facades, and the surrounding rooflines are rendered with the observational precision of an artist who walked and documented his city. Such prints served as records of a Tokyo rapidly shedding its Edo-period appearance.
The Kiinokuni shops at Akasaka (Akasaka Kiinokunizaka) from an untitled series of views of Tokyo was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親).
The Kiinokuni shops at Akasaka (Akasaka Kiinokunizaka) from an untitled series of views of Tokyo depicts abstract.
![[abstract composition with diagonal woodgrain] by Gen Yamaguchi](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/135949.jpg)