Nihombashi Station, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line "View of Flourishing South End Nihonbashi"

Stained glass

President of Takashimaya Company, Limited
MURATA Yoshio
It is a great honor for us to donate the public art work "View of Flourishing South End Nihonbashi" to the Nihombashi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, which was originally painted and supervised by Mr. YAMAGUCHI Akirai, a painter specializing in detailed depiction. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. YAMAGUCHI and all the people who made this possible.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), Nihonbashi was known as "Oedo Nihonbashi," the beginning of the five highways, and prospered as people and goods gathered from all over Japan. Today, the city is continuing to develop into an even more attractive place while continuing its history. Against this backdrop, Takashimaya, which has its flagship store in Nihonbashi, celebrated its 190th anniversary. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone for their patronage.
This work blends the past and present of Nihonbashi Minamizume and depicts symbolic buildings of each era. I was fortunate enough to visit the Creare Atami Yugawara Studio near the completion of the work, and had the opportunity to meet Mr. YAMAGUCHI and the stained glass artist, Mr. NAKANO Ryushi, and see both the original painting and the stained glass work. In the original painting, Mr. YAMAGUCHI himself researched the changes in Nihonbashi and expressed the historical streetscape and his own imaginary world in great detail. I was surprised and impressed when he explained that it took about a year for six craftsmen to finish the work with unique glass colors and "painting" in order to make this detail into a stained glass work. We were also able to discover some motifs on the stained glass that were not on the original paintings. I think you will enjoy this work from various perspectives, such as thinking about the history and imagining the future cityscape.
I sincerely hope that this work will continue to be loved for a long time as a new symbol of Nihombashi Station.

Pesident of Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd
YAMAMURA Akiyoshi
　With the support of Takashimaya Company, Limited, we have installed a stained glass window "View of Flourishing South End Nihonbashi" near the B1 exit of the newly renovated Nihombashi Station on the Ginza Line, based on an original painting by Mr. Akira Yamaguchi, a painter known for his intricate depiction of people and architecture using traditional Japanese painting styles. The stained glass window was created by Mr. YAMAGUCHI Akira. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. YAMAGUCHI and all those involved in the production and installation of the stained glass.
Based on the line concept of "Fusion of Tradition and Innovation," Tokyo Metro has been implementing various measures for the renewal of the Ginza Line, including station renovations, the introduction of new rolling stock, and the installation of platform doors. The renewal of the downtown area (Asakusa to Kanda) was completed in 2017, the 90th anniversary of the opening of Asakusa Station to Ueno Station as the first subway in the East on December 30, 1927, and now five stations in the commercial area (Nihonbashi and Kyobashi), Ginza area (Ginza), and trendy area (Aoyama-itchome and Gaienmae) have been completed. Five stations have been completed. Nihombashi Station has been transformed into a new station based on the concept of "City of Bridges". Since the days of our predecessor, the Eidan Subway, we have also been working on the introduction of art into station spaces in order to create a relaxing and enriching cultural space. Today, we continue to promote the installation of public art in conjunction with station renovations.
　Takashimaya Company, Limited has been actively promoting art and culture through art, and we would like to express our deepest gratitude to them for supporting the installation of this exquisite and original public art work that condenses the changes in the south end of Nihonbashi. I hope that this work will be loved by many people for many years to come as a new symbol of the renewed Nihombashi Station with the theme of "City of Bridges".

Director General of JPTCA
TAKI Hisao
　We are pleased to announce that the "View of Flourishing South End Nihonbashi", originally drawn and supervised by Mr. YAMAGUCHI Akira, has been completed and installed in front of the exit of Nihombashi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line. We are delighted with the completion and would like to express our sincere thanks to Mr. YAMAGUCHI.
　It took Mr. YAMAGUCHI three years to complete this original painting. Using the Yamato-e technique, he depicted the streets of the south end of Nihonbashi, which developed as a commercial district since the Edo period, from a bird's eye view from above, mixing time and space from the Edo period to the present and into the future.
　There are mansions and river banks from the Edo period, buildings from the Meiji period that no longer exist, bathhouses, and inns. A Ferris wheel can be seen on the roof of the building. In the future, there is a canal. In the picture of the future, there is a big drum bridge for pedestrians on the highway that has been turned into a canal, a humorous trick that is typical of the artist.
　In addition, the encounter between the artist's original drawings and the material of stained glass makes the work even more attractive. There are 1,182 cut pieces of glass, and in some places, fine lines of less than one millimeter were painted, and in some places, the glass was fired 15 times to bring out the colors. I believe that it is thanks to the high level of technology that Creare Atami Yugawara Studio was able to respond to the meticulous work of the artist. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the Association's efforts to promote public art in order to make public spaces where people come and go a place of peace. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the association's efforts to promote public art in order to make public spaces where people come and go more relaxing.
　In addition to Mr. YAMAGUCHI, I would like to express my gratitude to many other people for their support. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Takashimaya Company, Limited for sponsoring the event, and to Tokyo Metro for providing us with the space in front of the ticket gate where many people could see the work. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to them. We hope that this work will be loved as a symbol of Nihonbashi.