Yoshida Hatsusaburou 1931 The city of Otaru, which spreads out around its port, had a topography favored by Yoshida, who thought a site fronted by the sea and backed by mountains was ideal. In the early part of the Showa era, Otaru grew as an economic center with a port of trade, and its population then was reportedly larger than Sapporo’s. Its Ironai district contained the offices of a number of financial institutions including the Bank of Japan, and was even dubbed the “Hokkaido’s Wall Street.” In addition, the railway linking Temiya and Sapporo was only the third railway in Japan when it commenced service in 1880. Parts of the canal and cluster of warehouses built toward the end of the Taisho era as inner harbor facilities have been preserved and now draw tourists.

Yoshida Hatsusaburou 1928 1928, Senkyoro This painting clearly depicts the Hakone-Yumoto mountain railway, the hot springs of Yumoto and the Imperial Villa, and was a bestseller at the time.