About This Print

Number seventy-five 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.

This print does not have the series title printed in the margin, as do the images below.  The post-printing application of gofun for the snow varies from print to print, due to its application by hand.  The series number of the print is printed on the verso, which was done on some prints in the series and not on others.

Source: Tokyo: The Imperial Capital Woodblock prints by Koizumi Kishio,1928-1940, Marianne Lamonaca, The Wolfsonian-Florida InternationalUniversity, 2004, p.75
Koizumi had several reasons for choosing this view.  The Sakurada Gate, an important gateway into the Imperial Palace grounds, was the site of several political calamities.  The artist noted in his portfolio that this was the site of Li Naosuke’s assassination in 1860.  Li Naosuke (Lord of Hikone) had been a minister to the shogun.  During Koizumi’s time two other important events transpired on the site.  On 8 January 1932 an abortive assassination attempt was made on Emperor Hirohito.  And on 26 February 1936 a group of army officers initiated a military coup; during the four-day uprising several senior statesmen were killed.  Japan was becoming increasingly fanatical about its imperial legacy, and this site reinforced the importance of the survival of the emperor.

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.