Who painted Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo, and when?

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo is by Katsushika Hokusai, made in c. 1830-33 (Tenpo 1-4). Medium: Woodblock print (ukiyo-e).

What place does Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo show?

It shows Asakusa Honganji Temple (Tokyo).

Where can I see Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo?

It is held by Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum. Exhibitions change, so check each museum's information before you visit.

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji ・ 18

Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo

冨嶽三十六景東都浅艸本願寺

A view looking down on the Edo townscape sunk in clouds from the same height as a temple's great roof. Roofers work on the roof of Honganji pressing in at right, while at left a watchtower and a kite pierce the clouds, and in the distance Fuji shows its summit.

Artist: Katsushika Hokusai
Date: c. 1830-33 (Tenpo 1-4)
Medium / format: Woodblock print (ukiyo-e)
Series: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji 46 prints
Place depicted: Asakusa Honganji Temple（Tokyo）
Seen in the distance: Mount Fuji

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About this work

The great roof of the main hall occupies the right half of the picture, with a cloud-like scroll ornament visible at the end of the ridge. The craftsmen clinging to it are drawn small, further emphasizing the size of the roof. The decoration beneath the gable is also drawn in detail down to each pattern.

The viewer's eye level is placed about the same as the workers on the roof. The townscape below sinks in clouds of haze, and a watchtower and a kite at left stretch into the sky as if piercing those clouds. The upper part of the sky is a gradation of deep indigo, giving a sense of the height of the sky. Fuji shows its summit far above the clouds, facing the great roof. The picture is based on ai-zuri. The kite's long tail streams out, suggesting the wind high above.

Asakusa Honganji is a temple founded in 1591 (Tensho 19). It was originally located below Kanda Myojin but moved to Asakusa after the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657 (Meireki 3), and was also called Asakusa Gobo. The temple served as Edo's contact point for Higashi Honganji in Kyoto, and its main hall with a great roof was an especially conspicuous building in Edo.

The place today

Asakusa Honganji is today's Higashi Honganji in Nishi-Asakusa 1-chome, Taito Ward, Tokyo. It is the head temple of the Higashi Honganji branch of Jodo Shinshu, and the present main hall was rebuilt after the Great Kanto Earthquake. The Taito Ward tourism site also introduces the Edo-period temple as depicted in Katsushika Hokusai's "Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo."

Where can I see it?

Exhibitions change over time. Check each museum's exhibition information before you visit.

Museums that hold this work

Tokyo National Museum
Taito City, Tokyo　Accession no. A-11176
From the set of 12 sheets of Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
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Tokyo Fuji Art Museum
Hachioji
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Edo-Tokyo Museum
Sumida City, Tokyo　Accession no. 92202753
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Museums that hold this series (please check the museum's website for whether it holds this print)

Yamanashi Prefectural Museum
Fuefuki
Complete set of 46 sheets
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Frequently asked questions

Who painted Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo, and when?: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo is by Katsushika Hokusai, made in c. 1830-33 (Tenpo 1-4). Medium: Woodblock print (ukiyo-e).
What place does Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo show?: It shows Asakusa Honganji Temple (Tokyo).
Where can I see Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo?: It is held by Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum. Exhibitions change, so check each museum's information before you visit.