Tokyo 1890s
Ueno: From Rice to Lotus
Lotus flowers in Tokyo’s Shinobazu Pond in the 1890s. One of Buddhism’s most recognizable symbols, lotus arrived at Shinobazu because of a visionary political project by the Buddhist priest Tenkai.
Spotlight
A look Behind the Scenes: Making Maps
Shitaya (present-day Ueno in Tokyo), based on a 1850 woodblock print map. The top shows part of Shinobazu Pond. This article looks at how I create original maps for Old Photos of Japan.
Nikkō 1934
Worshipping a Warrior
A Zuijin warrior-guardian figure at Tōshōgu Shrine in Nikkō. Dedicated to Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shrine was the vision of an ambitious and politically savvy Buddhist priest. His vision reached Ueno in 1625.
Tokyo 1890s
Edo: A Metropolis of Hostages
The former main gate of a feudal lord’s residence in Edo. In the early 1600s, feudal lords began sending hostages to Edo to show their loyalty to Tokugawa Ieyasu. The hundreds of estates they built pushed Edo’s boundaries all the way to Ueno.
Tokyo 1872
Edo: Japan's New Center of Power
The residence of the Owari Tokugawa clan in Ichigaya, ca. 1872. During the 1600s, over 250 feudal lords built multiple estates like this in Edo (present-day Tokyo). They transformed a marshy wetland into Japan’s new center of power and a sprawling metropolis.