Imakumano (Kannon-ji) from the Picture Album of the Thirty-Three Pilgrimage Places of the Western Provinces

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Japanese Color Woodblock Print

Imakumano (Kannon-ji, temple 15)

from the Picture Album of the Thirty-Three Pilgrimage Places of the Western Provinces

by Nakazawa Hiromitsu, 1925 and 1946

Illustrated Account of the Sino-Japanese War, Volume 7

IHL Cat. #2244 (1925)

IHL Cat. #2413.23

(from the complete 1925 album of prints IHL Cat. #2413)

IHL Cat. #1858 (1946)

About This Print

Nakazawa's view may either be the long entrance path to the temple grounds of Imakumano Kannon-ji, in the Higashiyama-ku district of Kyoto, or the path leading to its two-story pagoda, Isei-dō Tahōtō. This Buddhist temple is the fifteenth along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage.

In December 1923, only a few months after the Great Kantō Earthquake devastated the Tokyo area, Nakazawa along with his two friends, the poet Ishikura Suiyō and the artist Akatsuka Chūichi, began their pilgrimage to the thirty-three temples comprising the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, taking seventy-eight days to complete the route.

For more information on their pilgrimage see the article Nakazawa Hiromitsu - Picture Album of the Thirty-Three Pilgrimage Places of the Western Provinces.

The Temple

Sources: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imakumano_Kannon-ji

Imakumano Kannon-ji, is said to be founded in the early 9th century by the Buddhist monk, scholar and artist Kōbō Daishi, who founded Japanese Shingon Buddhism. The temple is located in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto and is the 15th temple on the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage route.

The prayer for the Kannon statue of Imakumano Kannon-ji is said to have relieved Emperor Go-Shirakawa of severe headaches. Since then, visiting the temple is reputed to promote the recovery of diseases, particularly headaches and migraines.

Crossing the temple's bridge is an act of purification, and a symbolic motion from the everyday world into the sacred space.

The main enshrined image (honzon) of the temple is the bodhisattva Kannon Jūichimen.

Entrance path to the temple

image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kannonji_(Higashiyama-ku,_Kyoto)_sando.jpg?uselang=de

Comparison of 1925 and 1946 Issues

This collection contains prints from both the 1925 and 1946 releases. I prefer the earlier release which has a more painterly quality, likely closer to the artist's original drawing the print was based upon.

The two editions (1925 left, 1946 right) show significant differences suggesting either

extensive touching-up of the original blocks or newly carved blocks.

The Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage (Saigoku sanjūsansho junrei)

Japan's most famous pilgrimage, originating in the 11th century, encompasses 33 Buddhist temples in Western Japan (Kansai region) dedicated to Kannon (bodhisattva Avalokitasvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, who hears the cries of the world and assists anyone in distress.

The 33 temples on the approximately 1,000 kilometer pilgrimage route correspond to Kannon's ability to take on 33 different forms. One hundred thousand pilgrims navigate the route in its entirety or part each year.

Note: For a listing of all 33 temples go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saigoku_Kannon_Pilgrimage. To access an interactive map of the route and its temples go to https://www.thetempleguy.org/p/saigoku-33-kannon-route.html and scroll down towards the bottom of the page.

About the "Picture Album of the Thirty-Three Pilgrimage Places of the Western Provinces"

First issued in 1925 and reprinted in 1946, the 1925 album contains 58 prints and the 1946 album 59 prints. For detailed discussion of the two editions and additional information on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage see this site's article Nakazawa Hiromitsu - Picture Album of the Thirty-Three Pilgrimage Places of the Western Provinces.