Kiyomizudera in snow

A winter view of Kiyomizu-dera with snow blanketing the temple's roofs, the cantilevered stage, and the surrounding forest of Higashiyama. Snow scenes (yuki-e) carry a long lineage in Japanese printmaking, from Hiroshige's Edo views to the [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) snowscapes of Kawase Hasui, and Kato draws on this tradition while bringing his own architectural precision to the temple's complex geometry. The white of the unprinted [washi](/glossary/washi) typically provides the snow itself, with the negative space defining ridge lines, eaves, and the outlines of branches. Color is reserved for the dark cypress structure of the buildings, the muted ochre of exposed timber, and a sky often rendered in graduated grey-blue [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) to suggest overcast or twilight conditions. Within Kato's seasonal cycle of Kiyomizu-dera prints, the snow version emphasizes silence and stasis in contrast with the spring and autumn variants, where blossoms or maples animate the same compositional framework. The image participates in the centuries-old practice of yukimi — snow viewing as a contemplative seasonal pleasure.