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The Kaminarimon at the Kanseon Temple in Asakusa, from the series Famous Places in Edo

The Kaminarimon at the Kanseon Temple in Asakusa, from the series Famous Places in Edo

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Utagawa Kunitsuna

The famous thunder gate, or Kaminarimon, marks the entrance to the grounds of the oldest Buddhist temple in Edo. Founded in 628, the temple is formally known as Kinryuzan Sensoji. “Kanzeon” in the print’s title is an alternate name for the Buddhist diety enshrined there, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, or Kannon. “Thunder gate” takes its name from the two gods that it houses, the god of thunder and the god of wind. Kunitsuna’s scene emphasizes the active market around the temple. The exterior view of the complex allows for depiction of the entire gate with the statues of the two gods flanking the large central lantern.
Artist
Utagawa Kunitsuna
(Japanese, 1805 - 1868)
Title
The Kaminarimon at the Kanseon Temple in Asakusa, from the series Famous Places in Edo
Date
9/1853
Medium
Color woodcut
Dimensions
220 x 345 mm Overall
Credit
Bequest of Abigail Van Vleck
Accession No.
1984.1108
Classification
Prints
Geography
Japan

Related

By 1943, acquired by Edward Burr Van Vleck (Madison, WI); 1943, passed through inheritance to Edward’s son, John H. Van Vleck (Cambridge, MA); 1980, passed through inheritance to John’s wife, Abigail P. Van Vleck (Cambridge, MA); 1984, bequeathed to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Mueller, Laura. "Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School." Leiden, The Netherlands: Hotei Publishing, 2007. p. 194, no. 185

  • Competition and Collaboration: Japanese Prints of the Utagawa School: Chazen Museum of Art, 11/3/2007–1/6/2008

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