Approach to the Shrine

The title indicates a sandō — the formal approach path leading to a Shinto shrine — typically marked by torii gates, stone lanterns (tōrō), and an avenue of trees. Morimura's treatment flattens the receding path into stacked horizontal registers, with the shrine architecture set deep within or at the head of the composition. His handling of the sandō motif tends to emphasize seasonal cues — snow on stone bases, cherry blossom across the canopy, or the deep green of summer foliage — keyed to flat color blocks printed sequentially on washi with the baren. Bokashi gradients articulate atmosphere along the path, while the keyblock describes torii beams, shrine eaves, and the irregular silhouettes of the lantern caps. The shrine approach is among his most recurrent compositions, drawn from sites including Atago, Hie, Hakone, and rural prefectural shrines, and the subject anchors his standing within the contemporary mokuhanga revival as a chronicler of vernacular Shinto landscape.