1912 — 1926 ／ a day in the Taisho era
The first tram grinds past Ginza. A vendor arranges mikan in geometric stacks. Light, unfiltered, strikes lacquered signboards in vermilion and gold.
Modan garu gather at Cafe Paulista. Bobbed hair, cloche hats, and kimono with geometric obi. The department store windows are Bauhaus; the reflections are still Edo.
The studios of Yamana Ayao and Sugiura Hisui. Posters being drafted. A lacquered tea-table. Smoke from a Shikishima cigarette drifts against a gold-leaf byobu.
Paper lanterns bloom above Asakusa. A gramophone plays a foxtrot. The moon, simplified to a circle, hangs without explanation.
taisho — the brief, brilliant day.