About This Print
Kami Daigō-ji, a complex of some of the oldest temple buildings in Japan, is the upper precinct of Daigō-ji and is the 11th temple on the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage. Nakazawa presents us with a view of a shrine building with a sign on its post reading 西國第十一番靈場納経所 (Saigoku sanjūsan reijo nōkyō-sho), telling us were visiting the eleventh sacred place on the Saigoku pilgrimage and a donation of money or a sutra can be left. Off to the right we see a bluish stone marker leading the way to Iwama-dera 岩間寺, the 12th temple along the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage.
Along with his two traveling companions, the poet Ishikura Suiyō and the artist Akatsuka Chūichi, Nakazawa undertook this 600 mile pilgrimage in December 1923, only three months after the Great Kantō Earthquake devastated the Tokyo area.
In 1994, Daigō-ji was designated a World Cultural Heritage Site.


Juntei Hall was originally built in 866. But the present building was reconstructed in 1968.
The statue of Juntei Kannon to which the hall is dedicated is usually kept secret.
On 18th of May every year, however, the service ceremony called Gokaihi (Opening Door)
is held and the statue is opened to public for three days.
Caption and image source: https://www.daigoji.or.jp/garan/kami_garan_detail_e.html
The Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage (Saigoku sanjūsansho junrei)
Sources: website of cultural anthropologist Martin Gray http://www.taleofgenji.org/saigoku_pilgrimage.html and "Buddhist Pilgrim/Buddhist Exile: Old and New Images of Retired Emperor Kazan in the Saigoku Kannon Temple Guidebooks," Mark MacWilliams, appearing in History of Religions, May, 1995, Vol. 34, No. 4, The University of Chicago Press, p. 303-328.
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.
Print Details
IHL Catalog
#1859 (1946 second edition) and #2413.19 (1925 first edition)
Title or Description
Kami Daigō-ji 上醍醐寺 (temple 11)
Series
Picture Album of the Thirty-Three Pilgrimage Places of the Western Provinces
西国三十三所巡礼画巻 Saigoku sanjūsansho junrei gakan
Artist
Nakazawa Hiromitsu (1874-1964)
Signature
IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): 中澤弘光 [Nakazawa Hiromitsu] printed in lower right margin as shown left
IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): not signed
Seal of the artist

弘 Hiro
left seal: IHL Cat. #2413.19, 1925
right seal: IHL Cat. 1859, 1946
Publication Date
IHL Cat. #2413.19: June 15, 1925 大正十四年六月十五日発行 舞鶴要塞可令部検閲済 [As printed in the right margin of this collection's 1925 print Matsunoo-dera IHL Cat. #2245, the only print in the album that carries a date. The date is followed by an inscription indicating the print was inspected and approved by the authorities at the Maizuru Fort Headquarters, 舞鶴要塞可令部検閲済 (Maizuru Fort Headquarters Inspection Approval). Note that the date of publication on the colophon accompanying the complete 1925 album is September 28, 1925 大正十四年九月十八日発行.]
IHL Cat. #1859: January 18, 1946 昭和二十一年一月十八日発行 [Individual prints in the 1946 release are not dated. This date taken from a 1946 album colophon.]
Publisher
發行者 金尾種次郎 publisher Kanao Tanejirō
發兌元 金尾文淵堂 publishing house Kanao Bun'endō

IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): 文淵堂版 [Bun'endō han] printed in lower right margin as shown left
IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): no publisher seal
Carver
Okada Seijirō 岡田清次郎 and Ōkura Fujitarō (Ōkura Tōtarō?) 大倉藤太郎
Note on carvers: the above information is taken from the detailed information in the ADEAC system for the 1925 release. While the printer Okada is well known, the second listed printer 大倉藤太郎 is not and I can find no information on him.
Printer
IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): Nishimura Kumakichi 西村熊吉 and
Yamagata Hidesuki? 山県秀助
IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): Nishimura Kumakichi 西村熊吉 and
Takagi Seikō (Kiyomitsu?) 高木淸光
Note on the printers: the above information is taken from the colophon included in the 1946 release and the detailed information in the ADEAC system for the 1925 release. As to the printer Nishimura Kumakichi, given as one of the printers for both the 1925 and 1946 release, there is some uncertainty about the date of his death, although a birth date, either 1861 or 1862 [Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints, Merritt, p. 223], is generally accepted. A death date of 1941 is sometimes given and 1955 has been suggested, but Merritt provides no date of death. If he truly did the printing for the 1946 release he would have been 85 at that time. I could find no information on the second printer listed for the 1946 release 高木淸光, nor for the printer 山県秀助 listed as the second printer for the 1925 release.
Impression
IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): excellent
IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): excellent
Colors
IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): excellent
IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): excellent
Condition
IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): good - minor damage to margins in lower right; minor handling creases
IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): excellent - mounting residue three place along top verso
Genre
shin hanga; shasei kikō (sketch-tour)
Miscellaneous
temple/print number 11 appearing in the right margin of the 1925 release
Format
horizontal oban
H x W Paper
IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): 10 1/8 x 15 1/4 in. (25.7 x 38.7 cm)
IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): 9 5/8 x 13 3/4 in. (24.4 x 34.9 cm)
H x W Image
IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): 8 1/2 x 11 9/16 (21.6 x 29.4 cm)
IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): 8 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (21.6 x 29.2 cm)
Literature
Collections This Print
National Diet Library Call Number 寄別7-8-2-5 (1925 album, no images displayed); National Library Board, Singapore BRN:9854371 (entire 1946 album, no images shown); British Library System number: 017018582 (entire 1946 album, no images shown); Harvard Yenching Library HOLLIS number 990082993710203941 (1925 album, no images displayed)
IHL Catalog |
#1859 (1946 second edition) and #2413.19 (1925 first edition) |
Title or Description | Kami Daigō-ji 上醍醐寺 (temple 11) |
Series | Picture Album of the Thirty-Three Pilgrimage Places of the Western Provinces 西国三十三所巡礼画巻 Saigoku sanjūsansho junrei gakan |
Artist | Nakazawa Hiromitsu (1874-1964) |
Signature |
![]() IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): not signed |
Seal of the artist |
![]() ![]() left seal: IHL Cat. #2413.19, 1925 right seal: IHL Cat. 1859, 1946 |
Publication Date | IHL Cat. #2413.19: June 15, 1925 大正十四年六月十五日発行 舞鶴要塞可令部検閲済 [As printed in the right margin of this collection's 1925 print Matsunoo-dera IHL Cat. #2245, the only print in the album that carries a date. The date is followed by an inscription indicating the print was inspected and approved by the authorities at the Maizuru Fort Headquarters, 舞鶴要塞可令部検閲済 (Maizuru Fort Headquarters Inspection Approval). Note that the date of publication on the colophon accompanying the complete 1925 album is September 28, 1925 大正十四年九月十八日発行.] IHL Cat. #1859: January 18, 1946 昭和二十一年一月十八日発行 [Individual prints in the 1946 release are not dated. This date taken from a 1946 album colophon.] |
Publisher | 發行者 金尾種次郎 publisher Kanao Tanejirō 發兌元 金尾文淵堂 publishing house Kanao Bun'endō ![]() IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): 文淵堂版 [Bun'endō han] printed in lower right margin as shown left IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): no publisher seal |
Carver | Okada Seijirō 岡田清次郎 and Ōkura Fujitarō (Ōkura Tōtarō?) 大倉藤太郎 Note on carvers: the above information is taken from the detailed information in the ADEAC system for the 1925 release. While the printer Okada is well known, the second listed printer 大倉藤太郎 is not and I can find no information on him. |
Printer | IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): Nishimura Kumakichi 西村熊吉 and Yamagata Hidesuki? 山県秀助 IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): Nishimura Kumakichi 西村熊吉 and Takagi Seikō (Kiyomitsu?) 高木淸光 Note on the printers: the above information is taken from the colophon included in the 1946 release and the detailed information in the ADEAC system for the 1925 release. As to the printer Nishimura Kumakichi, given as one of the printers for both the 1925 and 1946 release, there is some uncertainty about the date of his death, although a birth date, either 1861 or 1862 [Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints, Merritt, p. 223], is generally accepted. A death date of 1941 is sometimes given and 1955 has been suggested, but Merritt provides no date of death. If he truly did the printing for the 1946 release he would have been 85 at that time. I could find no information on the second printer listed for the 1946 release 高木淸光, nor for the printer 山県秀助 listed as the second printer for the 1925 release. |
Impression | IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): excellent IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): excellent |
Colors | IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): excellent IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): excellent |
Condition | IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): good - minor damage to margins in lower right; minor handling creases IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): excellent - mounting residue three place along top verso |
Genre | shin hanga; shasei kikō (sketch-tour) |
Miscellaneous | temple/print number 11 appearing in the right margin of the 1925 release
![]() |
Format | horizontal oban |
H x W Paper |
IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): 10 1/8 x 15 1/4 in. (25.7 x 38.7 cm) IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): 9 5/8 x 13 3/4 in. (24.4 x 34.9 cm) |
H x W Image |
IHL Cat. #2413.19 (1925 release): 8 1/2 x 11 9/16 (21.6 x 29.4 cm) IHL Cat. #1859 (1946 release): 8 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (21.6 x 29.2 cm) |
Literature | |
Collections This Print |
National Diet Library Call Number 寄別7-8-2-5 (1925 album, no images displayed); National Library Board, Singapore BRN:9854371 (entire 1946 album, no images shown); British Library System number: 017018582 (entire 1946 album, no images shown); Harvard Yenching Library HOLLIS number 990082993710203941 (1925 album, no images displayed) |
last revision:
1/18/2021
12/20/2020
7/3/2020
2/22/2020
1/6/2020 created