Atagoyama Underpass

Atagoyama refers to Mount Atago, a name shared by sacred sites in both Kyoto and Tokyo; the Tokyo Atagoyama in Minato ward, with its steep stone Shusse no Ishidan leading to Atago Shrine, is the probable subject given the underpass reference, which points to the modern transit infrastructure threading beneath the historic hill. Morimura frequently treats subjects where premodern architecture meets contemporary urban form, and an underpass at a sacred mountain is characteristic of this concern. The composition employs the sharp tonal contrasts and crisp geometric framing of his urban work, with the dark mass of the underpass set against a brighter ground or sky and the wooded slope of the shrine compressed into stylized vegetal shapes above. Hand-printed mokuhanga registration is critical for the precise alignment of architectural elements, and Morimura is known for technically demanding multi-block impressions on [washi](/glossary/washi). Within his oeuvre, this print extends the architectural survey beyond temples and shrines into the layered city itself, where the sacred slope persists alongside—and within—modern Tokyo's transit network.