Pulling the book from its case, a riverbank lined with storehouses and a flock of butterflies gradually appear. Either side of the words “Nihonbashi: Kyoka the Author” written on the spine of the book, the white walls of the storehouses line up neatly and the butterflies fly high into the sky.

As the Ukiyoe prints of KATSUSHIKA Hokusai and UTAGAWA Hiroshige tell us today, Nihonbashi was once a thriving fish market, a place where people and goods came and went. Until the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, when the market was relocated to Tsukiji, the Nihonbashi area was a major foothold of commerce and distribution. There are faint hints of its bustle in the many shadows of people seen through the gaps of the storehouses. But the whole image is dominated by red, blue, yellow and white butterflies. Although it could not possibly be a real spectacle, this mysterious illusion draws the readers’ senses away from reality and invites them to the beginning of the story.

The setting of “Nihonbashi” written by IZUMI Kyoka (Senshokan, 1914) is Karyu-kai (the world of Geisha) of Nihonbashi. One Spring evening, the proud and free-hearted Geiko, Oko, meets a medical doctor named KATSURAGI on the Ichikoku Bridge. KATSURAGI has a crush on Kiyoha, a rival of Oko, because she reminds him of his missing big sister. But due to Oko’s skilful behaviour, KATSURAGI’s feeling starts to shift to Oko and the couple starts to deepen their relationship. However, when Akaguma, Oko’s former lover, finds out about this affair, he vindictively pressures KATSURAGI to leave Oko, and KATSURAGI disappears. Missing KATSURAGI and her love for him drives Oko mad and…,

The love affair between a man and a woman in the Hanamachi (entertainment district) and their tangled pride leads to a catastrophic end in this story When the unexpected ending leaves you emotionless and you gently close the book, the design of this book is refreshingly pretty and the confusion only increases.

The book was designed by KOMURA Settai (1887-1940). The beautiful design, created by the then unknown Settai at the request of Kyoka himself, was very well received. It is said that Settai was not even told the title of the book until Kyoka had finished writing the manuscript, and when Settai heard that it was to be called “Nihonbashi”, he rushed to redraw the cover. “In general, it is hard to draw master IZUMI’s work, and it is extremely difficult to capture their ethereal character,” Settai once said (“Cultured Kanazawa trees” in “Engei Gaho” magazine, September 1933 issue). Yet, he designed many books for Kyoka thereafter. The artist name “Settai” was later given to him by Kyoka.

From his work on “Nihonbashi”, Settai became a successful commercial artist in the fields of book design, illustration and stage design. But originally, he wanted to be a painter. After studying Japanese painting at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, Settai worked as a copyist of ancient objects for the art magazine “Kokka”, where he became familiar with the techniques of Buddhist paintings, picture scrolls and Ukiyoe. He also worked for the newly established Shiseido design department. This experience brought Settai closer to modern design and developed his unique design style, blending traditional and modern essences. His bold and dignified designs, known as the Settai style, have been reappraised in recent years.

The endpapers of front and back covers of “Nihonbashi” are illustrated with four leaves depicting the four seasons of the Hanamachi district. In Spring, willow branches hang in the garden and Shamisen (three-stringed Japanese lute) and Tsuzumi drum lie solitarily in the room. The absence of the owner (Geiko) is depicted here. The sadness that pervades the warm Spring seems to suggest the feelings of Oko, who is thinking of the person she is waiting for. The scene also reminds me of one Waka poem by KAKINOMOTO no Hitomaro in the Manyoshu anthology, “Haruyanagi / Katsuragi-yama ni / Tatsu kumo no / Tachitemo itemo / Imo o shizo omou (Like the clouds on Mount Katsuragi, I think of you no matter when I stand and when I sit)”.

In Summer and Winter he has captured a lyrical moment like a scene from a film: a woman looking back from a dark alley to a lively street, and a woman looking up at the deep night sky. If this was a film, you might expect to see a close-up of the woman’s face before and after this scene. But even without a close-up, the dark mood of the woman is intuitively conveyed. By describing the subtle shading vividly as a scene, rather than a facial expression of the woman, the expression becomes clearly visible in the mind of the viewers.

KONNO Saki
Curator
Tohoku Fukushi University Serizawa Keisuke Art and Craft Museum

Translation :Naoko Mabon (WAGON)

Reference
•IZUMI Kyoka “Nihonbashi” Senshokan, 1914
•KOMURA Settai “Nihonbashi Himono-cho” Heibonsha, 2006 (Originally published by Takamizawa Mokuhansha in 1943)
•“Do you know Settai Komura?” in “Geijutsu Shincho” magazine, Shinchosha, 2010
•OHKOSHI Hisako “Komura Settai: monogataru ishō”, Tokyo Bijutsu, 2014
•“Settai Style – From Edo Chic to Tokyo Modern” exhibition catalogue, Asano Laboratories Co., Ltd., 2021

Image caption (all from Ⅰ to Ⅴ)
IZUMI Kyoka “Nihonbashi” book design by KOMURA Settai
Collection and image courtesy of the Izumi Kyoka Kinenkan Museum

Ⅰ・Ⅱ　Front cover
Ⅲ　Front endpaper: Spring
Ⅳ　Front endpaper: Summer
Ⅴ　Back endpaper: Winter