Hiroshige 広重: Kinryusan Temple at Asakusa 浅草金龍山 (SOLD)

Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797-1858) Title: Kinryusan Temple at Asakusa 浅草金龍山 Series: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo 名所江戸百景  Date: 1856 One of the most famous and celebrated images from Hiroshige’s most modernist series. We see the huge red lantern that hangs above the Kaminariomon (“Thunder Gate”) entrance to Asakusa Kannon Temple, also known as Sensoji Temple. This is one of the most recognizable places in Tokyo, and a symbol of Asakusa and probably one of the most popular temples in Japan even today. As most of the buildings were destroyed during World War II, it is nice to have this depiction of how the ancient structure looked. Kinryûzan Sensôji, its formal name, dates back to 628, when two fishermen discovered a small gold image of Kannon in their net; the image was enshrined there, and the temple has had a popular following through the centuries. The auspicious white and red color scheme is used specifically for celebratory occasions. For the lantern, an orange pigment ma