Kinryūzan Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate, Sensōji in Asakusa) from the series Famous Places of Tokyo: Past and Present

 

Japanese Color Woodblock Print

Kinryūzan Kaminarimon

(Thunder Gate, Sensōji in Asakusa) from the series

Famous Places of Tokyo: Past and Present

by Utagawa Hiroshige III, 1884



IHL Cat. #1279

About This Print

“Asakusa Kannon” is the popular name of the temple more properly known as Kinryūzan Sensō-ji, dating back to 628. This print pictures the temple's Furai-mon (Wind and Thunder Gate) with its huge lantern reading 志ん橋 or Shinbashi (an area in Edo whose constituents contributed funds for the lantern.) This print is marked 古, or "old", in the upper right-hand margin, indicating it is a view from the past. It was originally issued, as shown below, as the top half of an oban size sheet, with the bottom sheet showing a "present" view of the temple grounds. It is one of at least 32 views, contained on 16 uncut oban-size sheets, in the series Famous Places of Tokyo: Past and Present.

古今東京名所: 金竜山風雷門・浅草寺山門
Kokon Tokyo meisho: Kinryūzan Kaminarimon [top] Sensōji Sanmon [bottom]
[Note: WUL entry on their site has an incorrect transliteration for this print]

The Series: Famous Places of Tokyo: Past and Present

A series of at least sixteen uncut oban-size sheets depicting a past or old (古) view on the top sheet, and present or now (今) view, on the bottom sheet, of a particular area of Tokyo. Many of the views are similar to those found in Hiroshige's One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei). 


Print Details

 IHL Catalog
 #1279
 Title or Description Kinryūzan Kaminarimon 金竜山風雷門
 Series Famous Places of Tokyo: Past and The Present (Kokon Tokyo meisho 古今東京名所)
 Artist Utagawa Hiroshige III (1842–1894)
 Signature
廣重画 Hiroshige ga 
 Seal no seal
 Publication Date 1884 (Meiji 17) [Note: the bottom print of the uncut sheet provides the date of publication.  For the Waseda University Library print that date is shown as Meiji 17, 2nd month.]
 PublisherTsujiokaya Bunsuke 辻岡屋文助, Tokyo-fu 東京府 [Marks: pub. ref. 548]
Note: The cartouche printed in the left margin of the print, and shown on the left, provides the artist's name (画工 gakō) and address. The publisher's seal appears on the bottom print of the uncut sheet.
 Carver 
 Impression excellent
 Colors excellent
 Condition good - light wrinkling of paper due to removal from backing
 Genre nishiki-e; meisho-e
 Miscellaneous
marking in upper right hand corner of print, indicating that the print represents a past or old (古) view.  [Note: this print does not carry a series number near the old markingas do many of the other prints in this series.]
 Format chūban yoko-e
 H x W Paper 
 7 3/16 x 9 1/2 in. (18.3 x 24.1 cm)
 H x W Image
 6 1/2 x 8 5/8 in. (16.5 x 21.9 cm)
 Literature 

 Collections This Print
 Waseda University Library  文庫10 08624 0005