Snow at Kofukuji Temple

Snow at Kofukuji Temple presents the ancient Fujiwara clan temple in Nara in winter, its famous five-story pagoda — one of Japan's most immediately recognizable landmarks — rising above snow-covered grounds. The Nara basin's winters brought occasional heavy snowfall that transformed the ancient capital's temple precincts, and Asano documented these conditions across multiple sites during what were likely winter travel journeys beyond his native Kyoto. Kofukuji's pagoda in snow was among the most visually powerful subjects available to any artist working with the traditional architecture of Japan's ancient religious landscape.