Details

Lightning strikes, splitting the night sky, while below people scurry across the wooden bridge as the downpour impedes their every step. This design is a reworking of Ando Hiroshige’s print, Sudden Downpour at Ryogoko Bridge (1857). Hiroaki has appropriated this famous ukiyo-e scene and has edited it, fabricating the composition into a long narrow format that serves to accentuate the lighting overhead greatly. Hiroaki’s design is not as quaint of a landscape as Hiroshige’s work; it’s a stinging and more powerful spectacle that comes across with the sharpness of a knife.

Connoisseur's Note

This print is a rare design executed in a longer and narrower format than Hiroaki’ other “pillar” style designs. The printing of this impression is outstanding, exhibiting fine bokashi, or color gradation, throughout the composition. The colors and impression are exceptional, making this design and outstanding rare work by this modern master.