Tokugawa Iemitsu and Ii Naotaka in Nikko 

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi crafted this woodblock print, titled "Tokugawa Iemitsu and Ii Naotaka in Nikko." Its dominant feature is the striking vermilion bridge cutting across the composition. The use of bold, flat colours is typical of ukiyo-e prints, and the steep perspective creates a dynamic, almost theatrical space. The bridge serves as a structural element, dividing the composition into distinct zones: the natural, untamed landscape below, and the realm of the figures above. This division is not just visual; it speaks to a complex interplay between man and nature, power and spirituality. The figures, though central, are rendered with a certain flatness, almost as graphic elements within the larger design. This flattening undermines traditional notions of depth and perspective, reflecting a broader shift in artistic representation towards abstraction and symbolic meaning. Yoshitoshi uses the bridge to destabilize fixed notions of hierarchy and to challenge the relationship between representation and reality. The result is a powerful statement about the nature of power, belief, and representation itself.