Snow at a shrine or temple — Hasui's single most valuable subject combination. Prints pairing winter precipitation with sacred architecture dominate the top of his price range: Snow at Zojoji Temple ($16,000 at Artelino, 2023), Snow at Tosho-gu Shrine ($3,200 at Artelino, 2020), Snow at a Shrine Entrance ($3,100 at Artelino, 2020), Saishoin Temple in the Snow ($3,000 at Artelino, 2023). Edition period is critical: pre-war lifetime editions consistently outperform posthumous prints by 3–5×. Pre-war lifetime editions bearing the Watanabe copyright seal (A through G types, 1926–1944) are the most desirable.
Snow at Hie Shrine, published in 1931, depicts the Hie Jinja — the Sanno shrine on Nagatacho's hilltop in central Tokyo, approached by a famous staircase lined with red torii gates — under deep snowfall that whitens its stone lanterns and sacred grove. The Hie shrine, patron deity of Edo/Tokyo since the Tokugawa period, occupies an elevated wooded precinct in the middle of the city's government district, and its snow-covered approach creates one of Tokyo's most theatrically beautiful winter scenes. The [oban](/glossary/oban) format and [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) sky give this acclaimed snow subject the compositional spaciousness it demands.
Woodblock print
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Yuki no Miyajima
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
1932
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Snow at Hie Shrine (Shato no yuki (Hie jinja)) (Shato no yuki (Hie jinja) was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水) in 1931.
Snow at Hie Shrine (Shato no yuki (Hie jinja)) uses Bokashi, Karazuri, and Nishiki-e, on color woodblock print; oban.
Snow at Hie Shrine (Shato no yuki (Hie jinja)) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1931).
Snow at Hie Shrine (Shato no yuki (Hie jinja)) depicts snow scenes and temples & shrines.
