Double Bridge (Tokyo)

The Nijubashi ('Double Bridge') at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo is one of the most frequently depicted Meiji- and Taisho-era meisho-e subjects, representing the combination of the Meganebashi stone arch and the Seimon Ishibashi that frames the main palace gate. Kotozuka's inclusion of a Tokyo landmark within an otherwise Kyoto-dominated catalog suggests either a commission or an effort to broaden sales reach. The composition typically positions the viewer across the moat, with weeping willows or pine framing the twin bridges and the white-walled palace towers visible in the middle distance. The glassy moat surface offers an opportunity for reflected-sky bokashi gradation, and the pale stone bridges against dark water create the tonal contrast central to this subject's visual appeal.