Katahashi Bridge at Seta (Translation)
Eight Views of Omi (Series Title)
近江八景の内 瀨田の唐橋 木版画 大正7年 (Primary Title)
Ito Shinsui 伊東深水, Japanese, 1898 - 1972 (Artist)
Published by, Watanabe Shōzaburō 渡邊庄三郎, Japanese, 1885 - 1962 (Publisher)
This seascape depicts a wooden bridge that crosses the Seta River on the south end of Lake Biwa. In the Chronicles of Japan published in 720, the bridge is referred to as Seta Bridge or Long Bridge. For centuries, it was the only bridge across the Seta River from the East region to Kyoto, thus becoming a military target in wartime. It has been burned many times throughout its history. This print illustrates the bridge after it was rebuilt by warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) in 1600, with an arched deck with railing and a truss framework. In the picture’s foreground, a lonely fisherman sails on the trembling water. Shinsui used dark colors to define the evening sky and diagonal lines to describe the storm, with only the subtle blue gray on the distant mountains softening the dark evening.
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