Nostalgia of Kyoto (Kyoto e no omoi), Shôwa period, circa 1960s
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Harvard Art Museums
Description
A woodblock print evoking nostalgia for Kyoto, created during the Showa period in the 1960s, when the ancient capital was undergoing rapid modernization. The Japanese subtitle "Kyoto e no omoi" translates as "longing for Kyoto" or "thoughts toward Kyoto," framing the print as an emotional response to the city rather than a topographic document. Takahashi's composition likely filters Kyoto's temples, gardens, and traditional streetscapes through a veil of memory and affection, softening architectural detail into mood and atmosphere. The 1960s context matters: this was the decade when much of Kyoto's traditional urban fabric was being replaced by concrete buildings, making prints like this one acts of preservation through art.
More Prints by Takahashi Rikio
More Urban Scenes Prints
A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo: Kiyonaga's Pipe (Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Kiyonaga no kiseru)
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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
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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
Nostalgia of Kyoto (Kyoto e no omoi), Shôwa period, circa 1960s was created by Takahashi Rikio (高橋力雄).
Nostalgia of Kyoto (Kyoto e no omoi), Shôwa period, circa 1960s depicts urban scenes and landscapes, set at Kyoto.