Nihonbashi Bridge

Nihonbashi Bridge, the symbolic center of Japan and the point from which all distances in the country were traditionally measured, is rendered in this oban woodblock print as both a functioning piece of urban infrastructure and a historical monument. The current stone bridge, built in 1911, replaced a succession of wooden structures dating back to 1603, and Nouet depicts this Meiji-era replacement with its Renaissance-inspired balustrades and bronze kirin and lion sculptures. The composition likely frames the bridge within the context of the surrounding commercial district, where department stores and wholesale markets crowd the banks of the Nihonbashi River. Nouet's print captures a moment before the river was covered by an expressway in 1963, preserving the bridge's original setting as an open-air crossing with sky visible above and water flowing beneath.