Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo
c. 1830–1832 · Woodblock print; ink and color on paper · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
📦 Free shipping on every order, arriving in 4–9 business days with production included. Express ($14.90) at checkout arrives in 4–6 business days.
About this work
- Artist
- Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849)
- Year
- c. 1830–1832
- Medium
- Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Original size
- 25.4 × 38.1 cm
- Collection
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (impression JP2996; many other impressions exist)
- Movement
- Ukiyo-e
- Series
- Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
The great ornamented roof of the Honganji temple at Asakusa rises steeply at the right, with workmen perched on its ridge, while a kite flies on a long string above the city and a timber scaffold tower stands at the left. In the distance, beyond bands of pink mist over the rooftops, a snow-capped Fuji sits on the horizon. The print belongs to Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, published around 1830–1832 by Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudō). The Honganji at Asakusa was one of the largest temple buildings in Edo, and Hokusai uses its roof as a vast man-made mountain in the foreground. The scale of the roof against the small peak is deliberate and witty; impressions vary in colour and condition.
This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Soft blue-green roof tiles and pink mist with a small white Fuji, for a hallway, home office or living room at 16×24 in natural wood. It pairs with Shop at Surugachō in Edo, another view of rooftops, kites and Fuji.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of a Ukiyo-e painting
- Era
- 19th century (c. 1830–1832)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cornflower blue, cream & beige
- Mood
- classic
- Rooms
- living room, hallway or entryway, home office, dining room, dorm room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, travelers, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
