About This Print

Asada's best known woodblock print issued by Uchida Publishing, the pre-eminent Kyoto publisher of woodblock prints founded in 1919 and still operating today. Depicted in this print is the famous view of the five-tiered pagoda at Ninnaji temple (仁和寺) in north-west Kyoto. "A Buddhist Temple founded in 888 AD, [Ninnaji] is deeply related with the Imperial Family of Japan. The temple is especially famous for its Omuro Sakura cherry trees which are the latest blooming cherries in the whole of Kyoto."[1]

It is a prestigious temple where members of the imperial family have served as abbots for generations, and in 1994 it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto".[2]

This print has gone through multiple printings with variations to the color scheme over the years, examples of which are shown below. It is unknown which of the color schemes was used in the original printing. As with most of Uchida's prints, it is impossible to determine the original date of printing, although it is generally thought that the bulk of Uchida's shin hanga prints were issued during and after the Occupation and targeted to the Occupation personnel and for export to the United States. At some point The Collector's Guild of New York, offered this print to its membership. Note this print bears a "Made in Japan" stamp on the left side of the bottom left margin (shown below). The presence of this stamp might indicate that this printing was made in the early-mid 1950s before the United States stop requiring an indication of the country of origin on imported goods. 

[1] website of Ninnaji Temple https://ninnaji.jp/en/ [accessed 3-5-24]

[2] website of Nippon Communications Foundation https://www.nippon.com/ja/guide-to-japan/gu003019/ [accessed 3.5.24]