Odawara Castle

Odawara Castle stands in present-day Kanagawa Prefecture and was the historical seat of the Hojo clan during the Sengoku period before being besieged by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590; the present donjon is a postwar reconstruction of the early modern keep. Tokuriki's print takes the castle as a [meisho-e](/glossary/meisho-e) subject, departing from his Kyoto focus to depict one of the recognizable castle silhouettes of eastern Japan. The composition is likely structured around the white-walled tower rising above its stone base, with surrounding pines or cherry trees providing seasonal framing. [Bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations in the sky and around the moat build atmospheric depth, while flat zones of [nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e) color register the white plaster walls, dark tile roofs, and green foliage. The keyblock defines the architectural detail of the rooflines and stone fortifications. Within Tokuriki's broad survey of Japanese landmarks — alongside his Kyoto temple series and his many Mount Fuji prints — Odawara Castle joins a smaller subset documenting the country's surviving and reconstructed feudal-era architecture.