Sumida River

Sumida Gawa pottery was named after the Sumida River and was originally manufactured in the Asakusa district near Tokyo by potter Inoue Ryosai I and his son Inoue Ryosai II. In the late 1890s, Ryosai I developed a style of applied figures on a surface with flowing glaze, Sandra Andacht wrote in 1987, "Sumida gawa wares have found great popularity with collectors, dealers and investors. The motifs conform to the general Western concepts of what Oriental designs are expected to depict; writhing dragons, Buddhist disciples, mythological and legendary beings and creatures. Thus, these wares are sought after and prices (here in the States) are high, even for pieces in less than perfect condition." File:東都名所 永代橋佃沖漁舟-Eitai Bashi Tsukudajima Ryosen MET DP123243.jpg|Eitai Bridge and Tsukuda – Hiroshige, 1830 File:Sunset across the Ryogoku bridge from the bank of the Sumida river at Onmagayashi.jpg|Sunset across the Ryōgoku bridge from the bank of the Sumida River at Onmayagashi – Hokusai, 1830 File:100 views edo 103.jpg|Senju Great Bridge – Hiroshige, 1856 File:100 views edo 034.jpg|''Night View of the Matsuchiyama and Sam'ya Canal –'' Hiroshige, 1857 File:Sumidagawa-UtagawaHiroshige1881.jpg|Bokusui tsutsumi hanazakari no zu – Hiroshige III, 1881 File:Night on the Sumida River LACMA M.71.100.73.jpg|Night on the Sumida River – Kobayashi Kiyochika, 1881 ==Culture==

The Noh play Sumida-gawa, which the British composer Benjamin Britten saw while visiting Japan in 1956, inspired him to compose Curlew River (1964), a dramatic work based on the story. The kabuki play, Sumida-gawa — Gonichi no Omokage, is perhaps better known by the title Hokaibo, which is the name of the central character. This stage drama was written by Nakawa Shimesuke, and it was first produced in Osaka in 1784. The play continues to be included in kabuki repertoire in Japan; and it is also performed in the West. It was recreated by the Heisei Nakamura-za in the Lincoln Center Festival in New York in the summer of 2007, with Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII leading the cast. The Sumida River Fireworks, which are recognized as one of the oldest and most famous firework displays in Japan, are launched from barges across the river between Ryōgoku and Asakusa. During summer, a festival is also held at the same time. ==Literature==

The poet Matsuo Bashō lived by the Sumida River, alongside the famous banana tree (Japanese: bashō) from which he took his nom de plume. See, for example, the opening lines of "Records of a Weather Exposed Skeleton," published in The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches (Penguin Classics, 1967). The Sumida River appears in a haiku by Issa from 1820: ==Bridges==

The Sumida runs through Tokyo for , under 26 bridges spaced at about one bridge per kilometer. Amongst these, the principal ones are: • The Ryōgoku-bashi (Ryōgoku Bridge), dating from 1932, replaced a bridge built in 1659. This bridge was immortalized many times by Hiroshige. • The Eitai-bashi (Eitai Bridge), dating from 1924, replaces a bridge built in 1696. • The Shin Ohashi (New Bridge), dating from 1976, replaced a bridge built in 1693. This bridge was not far from the Ryōgoku Bridge. • The Chuo Bridge was opened in 1994. • The Tsukuda Bridge, dating from 1964, was the first bridge built after World War II, crossing the river from Tsukiji to Tsukishima. • The Kachidoki Bridge was constructed in 1940 for the commemoration of the victory of the Japanese army at Lushun during the Russo-Japanese War. This bridge is the only drawbridge on the Sumida and has not been raised since 1970. • Tsukiji Ohashi is the newest bridge across the Sumida, opening in 2018 right next to the former site of Tsukiji Market. File:Eitai-Bridge Light up.jpg|Sumida River and Eitai Bridge (2012) File:EitaiBridge NightView.jpg|Eitai Bridge File:Sobu Line Sumidagawa Bridge in 1930s.jpg|Sumidagawa Bridge in 1930s File:X-shaped pedestrian Sakura bridge over Sumida river, linking Taitō and Sumida wards, view from Tokyo Skytree, Japan.jpg|Sakura Bridge File:Azuma Bridge.jpg|Azuma Bridge File:Sumida river04s2100.jpg|Chuo Bridge File:Sumida River at sunset, Kachidokibashi Bridge, Tokyo.jpg|Kachidoki Bridge ==Panorama==