The Memorial Hall of the Earthquake in Honjo, from the series One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era

Series:: One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era
Date:: 1932
Medium:: Color woodblock print; oban
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art Institute of Chicago

Typical Price

$500–$4,000. Common views: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: Koizumi's pre-war Tokyo views have historical significance. The 'One Hundred Views of New Tokyo' series is most collected.

Description

This 1932 color woodblock print from Kishio Koizumi's "One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era" depicts the Memorial Hall of the Great Kanto Earthquake in the Honjo district. The hall, now known as the Tokyo Memorial Hall, was built in 1930 to commemorate the victims of the devastating 1923 earthquake and subsequent fires that killed over 100,000 people. The site in Honjo, where a firestorm consumed tens of thousands of refugees who had gathered on open ground, carries immense historical gravity. Koizumi renders the memorial building and its surroundings with the documentary precision that defines his series, recording not just the architecture but the park-like setting that transformed a site of mass death into a place of quiet reflection. The print serves a dual purpose: artistic work and historical record, preserving the appearance of a memorial that itself preserves the memory of catastrophe.

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Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Memorial Hall of the Earthquake in Honjo, from the series One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era was created by Kishio Koizumi (小泉癸巳男) in 1932.

Yes — The Memorial Hall of the Earthquake in Honjo, from the series One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era is part of the One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era series by Kishio Koizumi.

The Memorial Hall of the Earthquake in Honjo, from the series One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era depicts landscapes, edo & tokyo, and architecture, set at Tokyo.