Shrine Gate at Miyajima

The print depicts the vermillion torii of Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima, the small island in the Seto Inland Sea long counted among the Nihon Sankei, the three classical views of Japan. The gate, set in shallow water and partly submerged at high tide, was a favored subject across the [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) generation, treated by Hasui, Yoshida, and Tokuriki among others. Shoda's rendering balances the strong vertical of the torii against the horizontal weights of sea and sky, using [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) for tonal transitions in the water and atmosphere. The vermillion of the gate is achieved through a separate color block, contrasting with the muted greys and blues of its setting. Within Shoda's body of work, Miyajima belongs to a smaller group of [meisho-e](/glossary/meisho-e) treating well-known religious sites, complementing the temple and shrine subjects that punctuate his output alongside the [kacho-e](/glossary/kacho-e) and moonlit scenes for which he is better remembered.