December (Snow Scene at the Golden Pavilion)

December (Snow Scene at the Golden Pavilion) depicts Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto's famed Temple of the Golden Pavilion, transformed by a winter snowfall. This print is part of Tomikichiro Tokuriki's celebrated Twelve Months of Kyoto series, created around 1970, which presents iconic Kyoto landmarks in their most characteristic seasonal settings throughout the calendar year.

Kinkaku-ji, originally built in 1397 as a retirement villa for the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, is one of Japan's most recognized cultural landmarks. Its top two stories are covered in gold leaf, and the pavilion sits at the edge of the Mirror Pond (Kyoko-chi), whose still waters reflect the golden structure. In Tokuriki's December scene, fresh snow covers the pavilion's distinctive three-tiered roofline and the surrounding garden, while the gold surfaces gleam beneath their white covering. The reflection of the snow-dusted golden building in the pond creates a doubled image of extraordinary beauty.

Tokuriki employed his characteristic bold palette and confident line work to render this beloved scene. As an artist who worked prolifically throughout the twentieth century, producing an estimated tens of thousands of prints, he developed an efficient yet visually compelling style suited to his ambitious series projects. The printing uses rich colors — the gold of the pavilion, the white of snow, the deep green of surrounding pines — applied in broad, clearly defined areas that give his work a distinctive graphic clarity.

The Twelve Months of Kyoto series represents one of Tokuriki's most successful achievements, systematically pairing Kyoto's greatest cultural sites with their ideal seasonal moments. December and the Golden Pavilion in snow is arguably the most iconic pairing in the series, as snow-covered Kinkaku-ji is widely considered one of the most beautiful sights in Japan. Tokuriki's version, held by the Minneapolis Institute of Art among other collections, has become one of the most recognizable prints in his extensive catalog and a beloved representation of Kyoto's winter beauty.