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Images of the Fifteen Ashikaga Shoguns at the Tôji-in in Kyoto (Kyôto Tôji-in, Ashikaga jûgodai mokuzô no zu), from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road, aka Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô meisho no uchi by Kawanabe Kyosai — Japanese Woodblock print

Images of the Fifteen Ashikaga Shoguns at the Tôji-in in Kyoto (Kyôto Tôji-in, Ashikaga jûgodai mokuzô no zu), from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road, aka Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô meisho no uchi

by Kawanabe Kyosai

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Description

This print from the Gyōretsu Tōkaidō series depicts the famous wooden portrait sculptures (mokuzō) of the fifteen Ashikaga shoguns enshrined at Tōji-in, a Rinzai Zen temple in northwestern Kyoto. The Tōji-in was established in 1341 as the funerary temple of the Ashikaga family, and its portrait statues — carved likenesses of each shogun from Takauji to Yoshiaki — became one of Kyoto's celebrated historical attractions. In this impression, Kyosai's composition likely presents the statues in their temple setting, emphasizing the sculptural forms against architectural interiors. The print participates in the meisho-e tradition by documenting a culturally significant site while also engaging the viewer's interest in historical iconography. This is one of four known impressions of this design in the series; differences between impressions may include variation in color tone and cartouche printing. The subject reflects Kyosai's range beyond comic and satirical subjects into historical documentation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Images of the Fifteen Ashikaga Shoguns at the Tôji-in in Kyoto (Kyôto Tôji-in, Ashikaga jûgodai mokuzô no zu), from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road, aka Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô meisho no uchi was created by Kawanabe Kyosai (河鍋暁斎).

Yes — Images of the Fifteen Ashikaga Shoguns at the Tôji-in in Kyoto (Kyôto Tôji-in, Ashikaga jûgodai mokuzô no zu), from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road, aka Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô meisho no uchi is part of the Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road series by Kawanabe Kyosai.

Images of the Fifteen Ashikaga Shoguns at the Tôji-in in Kyoto (Kyôto Tôji-in, Ashikaga jûgodai mokuzô no zu), from the series Scenes of Famous Places along the Tôkaidô Road, aka Processional Tôkaidô (Gyôretsu Tôkaidô), here called Tôkaidô meisho no uchi depicts transportation, tōkaidō, and travel scenes.