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.
Tokyo 1870s
A Castle in a Marsh
Edo Castle between 1872 and 1874. In the center is the Sakashita Gate; in the background, the Fujimi Yagura turret. Both still exist today. The massive castle, built in a marsh, was the heart of a new social order from which the unique culture emerged of Tokyo’s Ueno district.
Tokyo 1920s
Ueno before the Quake
Before it was razed by the terrifying fires of the 1923 quake, the area in front of Tokyo’s Ueno Park was a vibrant maze of geisha houses, rendezvous teahouses, and top-class restaurants, many with a breathtaking view of the lotus-filled Shinobazu Pond. It was a place where geisha, art, and power met and mingled.