Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki, 1871-1945) | Onagi River (Onagigawa) | Taisho period, early 20th century

Two silhouetted figures appear like shadows at a stand selling soba; noodles made primarily with buckwheat flower. The fronds of a tall willow tree, rendered in draping brush strokes overhang the bank as a boat passes by under a bridge. 

Approximately 5km long, the Onagi River is a man-made waterway that crosses the northern part of the Koto Ward, Tokyo, connecting the Sumida River and the Kyunaka River from east to west. The canal was constructed by order of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) in the early Edo period (1603-1868). It was soon recognised as an important thoroughfare for the ferrying of produce and was subsequently widened, later becoming a vital route for the transport of vegetables from nearby farming villages. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the area along the Onagi River became industrialised, with various trade utilising it for the transport of raw materials.