The Nihonbashi in Edo

Catalog note / 解説

Nihonbashi Bridge was the most important transportation center in Edo, the point where two major highways converged and diverged – the Tökaidö and Kiso roads connecting Edo and Kyoto. Build in 1602, this arched wooden bridge of 154 feet spanned the Nihonbashi River, one of many small tributaries that emptied into the Sumida River. Reconstructed several times since then, today it is a stone bridge over the reclaimed river. In the city of Edo, a network of rivers and canals transported goods and people. Stores, wholesalers, storage buildings, and houses lined the riverbanks. In this print we see the backs of the stores, where boats docked and workmen unloaded goods. Some stores have their sig…