Snow at Shiba Daimon

Shiba Daimon refers to the large sanmon gateway of Zojoji Temple in Tokyo's Minato ward, one of the principal Jodo-shu Buddhist temples of the Edo period. This second version of Hasui's Shiba Daimon composition likely revisits the same architectural subject with adjusted coloration, season timing, or compositional emphasis. The Sangedatsumon gate — its three entrance bays, massive timbers, and sweeping hip-gable roof — appears under accumulated snowfall, creating strong contrasts between dark structural members and white snow on horizontal surfaces. Snow scenes involving large temple architecture allowed Hasui to exploit the full tonal range of woodblock printing: the deep blacks of the gate's underbeams against grey sky, the graduated blues of shadows in snow, and the warm earth tones of the structure itself. Prints of this subject were produced in multiple states across Hasui's career, with later impressions sometimes showing differences in sky gradation or ground color registering successive production runs.