Exploring Japanese Landmarks in Nishiki-e and Photographs

Ekoin Temple

Constructed as a memorial for the victims of the Great Fire of Meireki (1657). Those who died in prison, were executed and victims of the Ansei Great Earthquakes were also interred thereafter. It also became a place for the exhibition of Buddhist images from temples all over the country. The sumo events held within the temple ground to raise money for the temple from 1781 and were continued until the Ryogoku Kokugikan was built in 1909. were the origin of today's sumo wrestling.

Nishiki-e and Paintings

名所江戸百景 両ごく回向院元柳橋

両ごく回向院元柳橋

The NDL Image Bank is a public-domain digital gallery of the National Diet Library, the national library in Japan. Our website has thousands of out-of-copyright Japanese artworks and images from our library’s extensive collection!

The NDL Gallery is online content that you can enjoy using the digitized materials of the National Diet Library. It also provides information on exhibitions in the National Diet Library.

Digital Exhibitiions logo

The NDL Digital Exhibitions features the NDL’s unique collections with explanations covering various themes such as nishiki-e, landscape photographs and historical materials. Discover your favorites!