Kiyochika 清親: Honcho Street on a Snowy Evening (Honcho-dori yoruyuki) 本町通夜雪

Artist: Kobayashi Kiyochika 小林 清親 (1847-1915) Title: Honcho Street on a Snowy Evening (Honcho-dori yoruyuki) 本町通夜雪 (Night Snow on Honmachidori)  Date: 1880 Iconic Kiyochika view of a horse-drawn carriage racing down Honmachi Street in Tokyo in the snow. We may notice that the snowflakes are only evident in the auras surrounding the light sources of the carriage lamps and the streetlamp. Regarding human figures, only the shadow of the driver is visible, and the man at left also has his visage, even his upper half, enveloped by his umbrella. The horse wears blinders, but the dog at right seems to be enjoying his race with the carriage horse. As has been oft-noted by scholars, Kiyochika’s evening scenes in this series are characterized by detachment and and even loneliness; he seems wistful for the earlier era before modernization and its profound effects on society. The Tokyo that Kiyochika captured basically disappeared soon after he published this series.  We also can see the influence