Pokémon Psyduck perfectly guest stars in animated version of one of Japan’s most famous paintings

A captivating scene of everyday life in Edo…an Edo with multiple Pokémon species in it.

Japanese ukiyo-e master Utagawa Hiroshige’s Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake is one of the most iconic pieces of Japanese artwork ever produced. Like many of the best woodblock prints, its beauty lies in its combination of a dramatic view, in this case a bridge stretching across Tokyo’s Sumida River, and a glimpse into the lives of everyday people during Japan’s Edo period, as we see townspeople, dressed in the garb of the 1800s, scurrying across the bridge as rain falls and a boat floats down the waterway

Created in 1857, Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake is largely considered Hiroshige’s masterpiece. However, a recent reinterpretation of the work makes it compellingly fascinating in a whole new ay, by adding Pokémon to the scene.

pic.twitter.com/0Ca9CwZV52

— Pokémon (@Pokemon) May 15, 2023

Unobtrusively standing on the bridge in the short animation is none other than Psyduck. Despite the drizzle, Psyduck doesn’t seem to be in nearly as much of a rush to get somewhere dry as the human residents of Edo (as Tokyo was still called in those days). Maybe it’s because Psyduck himself is a Water-type Pokémon, and that being wet doesn’t feel out of his element since his powers include Damp and Cloud Nine, the latter of which allows it to ignore weather effects (Cloud Nine’s name in Japanese-language versions of the Pokémon games, “nootenki,” is even a pun that can mean either “easygoing” or “no weather”).

Psyduck isn’t the only Pokémon guest-starring in Hiroshige’s ukiyo-e either. A few other Water/mixed Water-types also show up, a Gyarados and some Magikarp that leap majestically while swimming the Sumida River, plus a Pelipper pair, whose abilities include the rain-making Drizzle.

Eventually, though, Psyduck does notice that he’s getting rained on, and so he scampers off. Maybe he’s headed to the Pokémon Cafe near Tokyo Station, which isn’t too far away from the current Shin-Ohashi Bridge, to wait for the weather to clear up.

▼ Walking route from Shin-Ohashi Bridge to the Pokémon Cafe

The tweet, which was sent by the official Pokémon Twitter account, didn’t include any message beyond a trio of raincloud emoji, but since Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi bridge and Atake is part of Hiroshige’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo woodblock print series, hopefully there will be more Pokémon/ukiyo-e crossovers to come.

Source: Twitter/@Pokemon
Top image: Twitter/@Pokemon
Insert image: Wikipedia/Pharos
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