Kinryuzan Monastery at Asakusa

The Kinryuzan Monastery, popularly known as Sensoji Temple, prospered during the Edo period through its tie with the shogun and other members of the ruling class. It was located in the Asakusa district of Edo (present-day Tokyo), the capital's most celebrated pleasure quarters. Sensoji still stands in its original location and is a popular site, daily attracting thousands of people.

Hiroshige illustrates the main building of the temple complex, the Thunder Gate (Kaminarimon), built in 1633. Statues of the gods of thunder and wind would have stood in niches on either side. An enormous paper lantern hangs from the beam of the entrance. Some distance away from this gate are a five-storied pagoda and the Gate of Guardians (Nio-mon).

The open space linking the two gates is the Nakamise (literally, "stores in the middle area"), a famous, busy place where temporary stalls were put up during the temple's festivals. Here we see visitors to the temple walking in snow, and bearing the cold in silence.