Benkeibashi Bridge, Akasaka

Description

Kasamatsu Shiro's woodblock print "The Benkeibashi Bridge in Akasaka" is an enduringly appealing composition. It exemplifies an approach Kasamatsu employs that is shared by only a few woodblock artists: a heavy emphasis on a single color and its close variants within a design. The theme of the print is less unique to Kasamatsu Shiro, but a popular one among Shin-hanga artists. Examples are Yoshida Toshi's Benkei Bridge and Tsuchiya Koitsu's Benkei Bridge, both completely different in style from the present print. Such shared themes among Shin-hanga artists were common and requested by publishers, in this case Unsodo — and ultimately reflected the interests of customers at the time. Both Japanese audiences and foreigners appreciated prints of famous Japanese places, with Benkeibashi being one of the many. Nowadays an elevated highway has been built right behind it, but the bridge can still be visited, and the depictions immortalized in woodblock prints such as the current one remain completely unaffected. Variants of this design are known, with different colors used. The current design utilizes mainly green colors.