2011.30.18
Sakuradamon, Tokyo
Artist
Kiyoshi Saito
(Sakamoto in Aizubange, Fukushima, 1907 - 1997)
Title
Sakuradamon, Tokyo
Creation Date
1964
Century
mid-20th century
Dimensions
18 in. x 23 5/8 in. (45.72 cm x 60.01 cm)
Object Type
print
Creation Place
Asia, Japan
Medium and Support
woodblock on paper
Credit Line
Gift of Ted and Marcia Marks in memory of Emily Howe Marks
Copyright
This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s
Copyright Terms and Conditions.
Accession Number
2011.30.18
Sakuradamon, Tokyo illustrates one of the gates of the Edo Castle, part of the historic fortification that was first constructed in the 15th century. In 1860 this was the site of the assassination of Ii Naosuke, a powerful political figure, by anti-government protesters who opposed the treaty to open up trade with the West. Saitō channels cultural tensions of his own time between Asian and Western influences through a range of aesthetic decisions. Compositionally, he manipulates the landscape by constraining space and uses a top-down perspective in order to collapse foreground and background into a single plane. The dark and earthy hues and embossed texture are used to fill in simple, abstract shapes that form the scene. The vast space of the gate’s exterior contrasted with the compressed interior creates a sense of distance, evoking feelings of longing and nostalgia. Through the abstraction of this landscape, Saitō connects his conflicted artistic identity with the historical and cultural clash of the landscape.
