A work that captures the prosperity of a busy port

ODA Kazuma, Mouth of Ajigawa River (from "Views of Osaka"), 1918

Oda Kazuma (1881–1956), having elevated lithography from commercial printing to the realm of art, was a leading modern Japanese printmaker. His lithograph collection Views of Osaka, produced between 1917 and 1919, is one of his masterpieces, along with his earlier Views of Tokyo. At the time, the Aji and Kizu rivers, which flow from the western end of Nakanoshima into the sea, played a central role as the port of Osaka, “the city of water.” His work The Mouth of Ajigawa River conveys the prosperity of the port city, with large and small boats casting shadows from the setting sun, creating a strikingly bold contrast of light and dark.