Hiroshige depicts in this engraving the bridge “Sin-Ohashi”, which means “The New Great Bridge”. The Ohashi Bridge was built on the Sumidagawa River, it was not far from the Regokubasi Bridge, but the old name of Regokubashi was Ohashi, so the new bridge was called Sin-Ohashi-New Ohashi. The bridge was built in 1693 by order of shogun Tokugawa Tsunakesi, and connected the center of Edo with the Fukagawa area.
A view of the far shore, opening in the engraving, where the ships of the military government bakufu moored, in common parlance was called “Atake” by the name of a large military rowing ship, which appeared in the late XVII century. Hiroshige portrayed the bridge in the pouring rain, which is often in the summer. Such rains called “Yudaki” – “evening phenomenon”. The viewer sees people running along the bridge in search of shelter from the unexpectedly started rain. They hide from the rain under broad-brimmed straw hats, straw hats, umbrellas.
This was the first engraving Ukiyo-e, which met Vincent Van Gogh. The engraving is known not only for its composition, but also for the carefully traced rain. In the late sheet the sky, gray above the tops of the trees of the opposite shore, turns black to the top. Jets of rain stand out clearly. The color of the cartouche also changes. The overall tone of the engraving becomes more gray.
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