Bankoku-bashi Bridge, Yokohama Expansion

Bankoku-bashi Bridge, Yokohama 

横浜萬国橋

Artist
ISHIWATA, Koitsu
石渡 江逸
Birth Year
1897
Death Year
1987
Date
1931 
Technique, Material, Format
woodblock 
Dimension
36.5 x 24.2 cm 
Category
Print by Japanese Artist 
Inventory Number
85-PRJ-003 

The Shinko Pier in Yokohama was constructed between 1899 and 1917. And the first bridge connecting the wharf with the land was the 1904 Bankoku Bridge depicted in this work. While the current Bankoku Bridge dating from 1940 is made of concrete, this one was an arched steel bridge with hanging lamps. Two women wearing traditional kimonos and a family with a Chinese-style appearance are depicted, as if to contrast with the bridge that symbolizes the introduction of new Western technologies. In this way, the work captures the kind of exotic scenery that was unique to Yokohama.
(KATADA Yuko)

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