Towing the Boat Home in the Evening, Koume, Tôkyô

From 1876, woodblock prints of scenery, known as kôsenga ("light ray pictures"), were published. They focused on light and shadow and depicted districts that retained the air of the Edo period with subtle color and rich sensitivity, earning a favorable reputation. In this composition, two boatmen—a married couple—pull a downriver boat back upstream. In contrast with the background, illustrated with silhouettes, the people are illuminated with the light of the moon and stand out, and the backlighting creates shadows on their facial expressions.