Ōtani Son’yu (1886–1939) 
Iguchi Kashū (1880–1930) 
Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō 
Japan, 1922 
One of a set of eight handscrolls woodblock–printed over collotype; ink and color on paper 
Purchase, Richard Lane Collection, 2003 (2008.0035.1)

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During the Edo period (1615–1868), the Tōkaidō connected the political center of Edo (modern Tokyo) with the imperial residence and cultural center of Kyoto. It was the heart of trade, travel, and popular culture, but by the 20th century modernization had made the route increasingly obsolete. 
 
The narrative begins with a dramatic symbol of modernization, Nihonbashi Bridge. The original 17th century wood bridge was replaced with a Western-style stone arch bridge in 1911, shown here surrounded by modern high-rise buildings with electric lights. Upon leaving Tokyo many of the stations superficially maintain their rural appearance. However, close inspection reveals automobiles, trains and other signs of modernization dotting the landscape. Of special interest are the many bridges being built across the rivers that intersect the Tōkaidō. During the Edo period bridges were forbidden in key locations along the road to discourage regional uprisings, but they were necessary for the new modern infrastructure of highways and railways. 
 
No expense was spared in the production of this luxury edition illustrating the Tōkaidō (which includes a total of eight scrolls), and its sale price was a staggering 500 yen, nearly the annual salary of a factory worker at the time. The scrolls are a study in contrasts. They were under-printed in collotype, a photomechanical printing process invented in France in 1855. Rich mineral colors were printed over the collotypes using woodblock printing, a traditional Japanese technique that was perfected in the 18th century (with much earlier roots) but was rapidly being replaced by photography and other Western technologies. The scrolls are an important landmark in the 20th century history of Japanese woodblock printing and were the most ambitious printing project of their time.