Sanjo Bridge

Sanjo Bridge crosses the Kamo River in central Kyoto and marks the eastern terminus of the historic Tokaido road, making it a long-standing urban landmark. Tokuriki, a lifelong Kyoto resident born a short distance from the river, returned to the bridge across multiple decades, treating it as a [meisho-e](/glossary/meisho-e) subject within his broader survey of the old capital. The print is likely composed with the bridge's wooden balustrade and stone piers seen at an angle, with the Higashiyama hills rising as a soft backdrop. Tokuriki's handling of [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations would give the river its sense of moving water, while flat areas of [nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e) color define the buildings and bridge structure. Printed from multiple cherrywood blocks pressed by baren onto handmade washi, this image fits within the postwar Kyoto-landscape series that became central to Tokuriki's output as both a [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) colorist and a [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) participant who often cut and printed his own designs.