About This Print
Number ten of the one hundred prints that make up the series Showa dai Tokyohyakuzue (One Hundred Pictures of Great Tokyo During Showa). Koizumi startedthis series in 1928 and completed it twelve years later in 1940. In this print we look out from Sensō-ji's Niōmon Gate (Hōzōmon Gate) in Asakusa, Tokyo towards bustling Nakamise Shopping Street.As noted by the artist (see "Artist's Annotations," below), the shops were destroyed during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, but they were rebuilt in concrete in 1925. These were in their turn destroyed during the aerial bombing of Tokyo in 1945 and rebuilt after the end of the war.
For more information on this series see "The Series - One Hundred Pictures of Great Tokyo During Showa (Showa dai Tokyo hyakuzue)" under the artist's biography.
Artist's Annotation
Source: MIT Visualizing Cultures website http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/tokyo_modern_02/annotation.htmlIn 1940, Koizumi created woodblock print charts containing print titles, dates, and comments for this series. His comment for this print follows:
“The statute of the Kannon Bodhisattva survived theearthquake, but only a few of the shops on Nakamise remained.”
Other Impressions - Reference Images for this Print
The Izumi 泉 character appears above the artist's name in the lower right of the image
and there are minor variances in the information contained in the right margin.
and there are minor variances in the information contained in the right margin.
Nakamise Shopping Street Today
Rebuilt after the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake and again after the bombings in WWII, today 250 meter long Nakamise-dōri is lined with about 90 stalls selling souvenirs, traditional goods and snacks. In 1992 Nakamise received a makeover with the stall shutters being painted with scenes embodying the feel of old Edo.
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #882 |
| Title | Nakamise Street Viewed from Niōmon Gate - Asakusa 浅草＝観音二王門ヨリ仲見世へ - Kanji title left margin |
| Series | One Hundred Pictures of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era Showa dai Tokyo hyakuzue 昭和大東京百図絵 |
| Reference Number | #10 (artist's annotated portfolio list from c. 1940 and as hand written and printed in right margin as 第十景, "10th view") |
| Artist | Koizumi Kishio (1893-1945) |
| Signature |   right: 小泉癸巳男 pencil signed in lower right margin |
| Seal | |
| Publication Date | February 1931 (六年二月制作 as hand written and printed in right margin) |
| Edition | unknown |
| Publisher | likely self-published; some sources list publisher as Asahi Press (see "The Publisher of the Series" under the artist's bio Koizumi Kishio.) |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | good - light wrinkling and soiling |
| Miscellaneous | inscriptions along right margin read: 昭和東京風景版画百図絵頒布画 第十景 六年二月制作番 号 小泉癸巳男 [Koizumi Kishio] |
| Genre | sosaku hanga (creative prints) |
| Format | dai oban |
| H x W Paper | 11 5/8 x 16 in. (29.5 x 40.6 cm) |
| H x W Image | 10 7/8 x 14 3/8 x in. (27.6 x 36.5 cm) |
| Collections This Print | TheNational Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo P00131-003 [for an unknown reason The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo titles this print, in English, Kaminari Gate Street, Asakusa although the title printed in the left margin clearly reads Niōmon Gate 二王門]; British Museum 2004,0416,0.2; The Wolfsonian at Florida International University TD1993.69.1.112 |
| Reference Literature | Tokyo: The Imperial Capital Woodblock prints by Koizumi Kishio,1928-1940, Marianne Lamonaca, The Wolfsonian-Florida InternationalUniversity, 2004, p. 94. |
12/2/2020
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