Kidai Shoran (detail) © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Asian Art Museum, National Museums in Berlin), former collection of Hans-Joachim and Inge Küster, gift of Manfred Bohms 2002, photography: Tadao Kodaira

35Notice boards

Tall wooden signboards were used to convey the laws and ordinances of the Edo shogunate and were posted in places that would catch people’s attention. Notice boards placed on the western side of the southern end of Nihonbashi Bridge served as public bulletins for the whole city. Today, this spot at the foot of the bridge is a plaza with a stone monument in the shape of one of those notice boards and recounts the history of Nihonbashi Bridge.