Boats at Shinagawa, Night

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Publisher:: Doi Sadaichi
Edition:

Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Source:

Typical Price

Koitsu's atmospheric night and temple scenes are his most sought-after subjects. Doi Hangaten first editions (1930s) are the most desirable; Watanabe editions are more common.

Later printings: $500–$1,500
Good lifetime editions: $1,500–$4,000
First editions, night scenes, exceptional condition: $4,000–$12,000

Description

The bay of Shinagawa, once Tokyo's gateway harbor where ships from Osaka and the provinces unloaded cargo at the start of the Tokaido road, becomes at night a composition of extraordinary atmospheric power. Fishing and transport boats lie anchored in rows, their lanterns casting wavering reflections across the dark water, while the sky above — rendered in Koitsu's deepest [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) blues and blacks — presses down on the luminous scene below. The harbor captures old Edo's maritime life in its final decades before the waterfront was transformed.