Twelve Views of Tokyo: Asakusa
- Series:
- Twelve Views of Tokyo
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Scholten Japanese Art
Description
This print from the Twelve Views of Tokyo series focuses on the Asakusa district, home to the Senso-ji temple complex and surrounding entertainment quarter that made it Tokyo's most popular destination for both worship and amusement. Hakutei captures the district's layered identity, where the ancient pagoda and Kaminarimon gate presided over a bustling world of theaters, stalls, and pleasure gardens. The series format invites comparison with Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo," but Hakutei's self-carved, self-printed approach and modern compositional sensibility mark a clear departure from the ukiyo-e tradition. Each view in the twelve-print set functions both as an independent image and as part of a cumulative portrait of Taisho-era Tokyo, with Asakusa serving as the set's anchor of traditional culture.
More Prints by Ishii Hakutei
More Urban Scenes Prints
A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo: Kiyonaga's Pipe (Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Kiyonaga no kiseru)
Woodblock print
View of Kabuki Theater from Matsuya (Ginza Matsuya yori Kabukiza), no. 3 from the series "Pictures of Ginza, First Series (Gashu Ginza dai isshu)"
1928
Color lithograph
Distant View of Mitsukoshi Movie Theater in Shinjuku from the Sixth Floor of Hoteiya (Hoteiya rokkai kara Shinjuku Mitsukoshi Musashi no kan enbo zu), no. 1 from the series "Scenery of Shinjuku (Gashu Shinjuku fukei)"
1930
Color lithograph
Spring Dusk at the Tōshō Shrine in Ueno
1948
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Twelve Views of Tokyo: Asakusa was created by Ishii Hakutei (石井柏亭).
Yes — Twelve Views of Tokyo: Asakusa is part of the Twelve Views of Tokyo series by Ishii Hakutei.
Twelve Views of Tokyo: Asakusa depicts urban scenes, landscapes, and edo & tokyo, set at Tokyo, Asakusa.