Temple - 寺

A temple (寺, tera) composition by Aoyama Masaharu — a broad subject that encompasses Japan's Buddhist architecture from the grandest complexes to the humblest country temples nestled in mountain valleys. Aoyama's temple compositions draw on his training in traditional Japanese painting and his experience studying Japan's material culture at the Imperial Household Museum, giving him an unusually deep understanding of Buddhist architectural forms: the sweeping tiled roofs, the decorative bracketing systems, the relationship between built structure and natural setting that characterizes the best temple architecture. Each temple presents different formal challenges, and Aoyama's carving technique met them with consistent precision.