Spring Evening- Post Quake

A spring evening scene created after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 — the "Post Quake" designation marking this as a view of Tokyo in the process of reconstruction. Shotei renders a spring evening in a city still rebuilding, the seasonal renewal of nature counterpointing the more effortful renewal of the built environment. The print participates in the shin-hanga movement's larger project of documenting and preserving Japanese scenery at a moment when earthquake, fire, and subsequent rebuilding were rapidly transforming the urban landscape.