Mirror of the Ages - Meiji 1896

This woodblock print by Yōshū Chikanobu presents us with a portrait of a woman, superimposed against a background of a castle and bridge. The woman's poised stillness and the architectural rigidity behind her create an intriguing juxtaposition. Consider the bridge. Across cultures, bridges symbolize transitions, connections between worlds. Here, it bridges not just physical spaces but also temporal ones—linking the woman's present to the past of the Meiji era's traditional structures. Like Janus, the two-faced god, such symbols look backward and forward. This motif echoes throughout history, from ancient Roman aqueducts to modern skyscrapers, all attempts to bridge divides and transcend limitations. The composition of the image evokes powerful feelings of cultural continuity. Such symbols aren’t linear; they resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings in each epoch.