Temples & Shrines Prints (1057)
Temples and shrines are among the most enduring subjects in Japanese printmaking, reflecting the central role of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japanese cultural life. These sacred structures, often set within landscapes of exceptional natural beauty, offered printmakers subjects that combined architectural precision with atmospheric grandeur. The meisho-e (famous places) tradition naturally featured prominent religious sites — Sensoji temple in Asakusa, Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto, the Itsukushima shrine at Miyajima — alongside natural landmarks. Hiroshige's prints of temple precincts in rain, snow, and moonlight established visual conventions that shin-hanga artists would later refine. The torii gate, pagoda silhouette, and temple approach flanked by lanterns became iconic compositional elements. Kawase Hasui made temple and shrine subjects a specialty, producing atmospheric views of sacred sites across Japan that captured the interplay of architecture, nature, and light at specific times of day and seasons. His prints of snow-covered temple roofs and rain-washed shrine paths are among the most recognized images in twentieth-century Japanese art. The subject remains popular with contemporary moku-hanga artists, who continue to find fresh perspectives on Japan's architectural heritage.
Artists Known for Temples & Shrines
Fushimi Inari Temple
伏見稲荷
Woodblock print
The Compound of the Tenman Shrine at Kameido in the Snow (Kameido Tenmangu keidai no yuki), from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho)"
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Temple with lanterns
Woodblock print
A Section of the Byodo Temple at Uji (Uji Byodoin no ichibu), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)"
Uji Byodoin no ichibu
1921
Color woodblock print; oban
Old Rakan Temple, Yabakei, Bungo Province (Bungo Yabakei Ko Rakan-ji), from the series Famous Sights of Japan (Nihon meishō zue)
1897 (Meiji 30)
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Hoshifuri Pine at Zen'yoji Temple in Edogawa (Edogawa-ku Zen'yoji Hoshifuri matsu), from the series "One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era (Showa dai Tokyo fukei hyaku zue hanga)"
1935
Color woodblock print; oban
Nigatsudo Temple
1926
Color woodblock print
The Great Buddha, Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)
Kamakura Daibutsu
1930
Color woodblock print
Temple Bell
Woodblock print
Saishoin Temple in Snow, Hirosaki
description
Woodblock print
Spring Dusk at the Tōshō Shrine in Ueno
1948
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Eastern Hamlet, Horyu Temple (Horyuji higashi sato)
1956
Color woodblock print
Honjo in Izumo Province (Izumo Honjo)
August 1932
Color woodblock print; o-tanzaku
Shrine in the Snow
Woodblock print
Heian Shrine in the Spring
Woodblock print
Tsubosaka Temple, Yamato (Yamato Tsubosakadera)
1950
Color woodblock print
Tsushima Shrine, Aichi Prefecture (Tsushima jinja (Aichi ken))
1948
Color woodblock print
Yakuo Temple, Mito (Mito Yakuoin)
1945
Color woodblock print
Kiyomizu Temple in Rain (Ame no Kiyomizudo), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)"
1921
Color woodblock print; oban
A Temple in Rain Christmas Card
description
Woodblock print
Dusk at Byodo Temple (Byodoin no yu)
1950
Color woodblock print
Chion-in Temple Gate (Romon), from the series Eight Scenes of Cherry Blossoms (Sakura hachidai)
Romon
1935
Color woodblock print
Evening Snowfall at Kiyomizu Temple (Kiyomizudera no bosetsu)
1950
Color woodblock print
Hall of the Great Buddha (Nara Daibutsuden)
1950
Color woodblock print
Heian Shrine, Kyoto (Heian jingu)
1936
Color woodblock print
Byodo-in Temple
平等院
Woodblock print
Daigoji Temple
醉醐寺
Woodblock print
Great Buddha
大仏
Woodblock print
Red Temple Gate
Woodblock print
Snow at Chioin Temple
Woodblock print
Snow at Chion-in Temple
知恩院雪
ca. 1950s
Woodblock print
Snow at Kamigamo Shrine
上賀茂神社雪
Woodblock print
Snow at Kofukuji Temple
興福寺雪
Woodblock print
Snow in Toji Temple
東寺雪
Woodblock print
Snow in Yuki Shrine
由岐神社雪
Woodblock print
Temple Gate in Snow
Woodblock print
Temple in Snow
Woodblock print
Heirin Temple, Nobidome (Nobidome Hirinji)
1952
Color woodblock print
Rain at Higashi Hongan-ji Temple
東本願寺雨
Woodblock print
Rain at Higashi Honganji Temple
東本願寺雨
ca. 1950s
Woodblock print
Rain in Enryaku-ji Temple
延暦寺雨
Woodblock print
Rain in Sanjusangendo Temple, Kyoto
三十三間堂雨
Woodblock print
Moonlight in Mii Temple
1952
Woodblock print
Night Scene of Kitano Shrine
北野神社夜
1952
Woodblock print
Clearing after a Snowfall at the Kannon Temple in Asakusa (Asakusa Kannon no yukibare), from the series "Twenty Views of Tokyo (Tokyo nijukkei)"
1926
Color woodblock print; oban
Kanda Myojin Shrine Precent, from the series "Twenty Views of Tokyo" (Tokyo nijukei, Kanda Myojin keidai)
1926
Color woodblock print
Kasuga Shrine, Nara (Nara Kasuga jinja), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)"
February 1921
Color woodblock print; oban
Gion Shrine Gate
1935
Color woodblock print
Kencho Temple, Kamakura (Kamakura Kenchoji)
1933
Color woodblock print; oban
Kiko Temple, Nara Prefecture (Kikoji (Nara ken))
1950
Color woodblock print; oban
Kiyomizu Hall, Ueno, from the series "Twenty Views of Tokyo" (Tokyo nijukei, Ueno Kiyomizudo)
1928
Color woodblock print
Kosho Temple, Himi, Etchu, from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series" (Tabi miyage dai nishu, Etchu Himi Koshoji)
6 September 1921
Color woodblock print
Ishiyama Temple
Woodblock print
Late Autumn Rain, Nanzen Temple, Kyoto (Shigure no ato (Kyoto Nanzenji))
1951
Color woodblock print
Heirinji Temple Bell (Tsuriganedo), from the series "Four Landscapes" ("Fukei yondai")
釣鐘堂
1951
Color woodblock print
Ishiyama Temple (Ishiyamadera)
石山寺
1946
Color woodblock print
Shrine of the Paper Makers, Fukui
1951
Color woodblock print
Temple Bell
Woodblock print
January (Snow Scene at the Byodoin Temple in Uji)
一月 (宇治平等院雪景)
second half 20th century
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
March (Plum Blossoms at the Kitano Shrine)
三月 (北野天満宮梅花)
second half 20th century
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Temples and shrines are among the most enduring subjects in Japanese printmaking, reflecting the central role of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japanese cultural life. These sacred structures, often set within landscapes of exceptional natural beauty, offered printmakers subjects that combined architectural precision with atmospheric grandeur.
Kawase Hasui, Kotozuka Eiichi, and Utagawa Hiroshige are among the artists most associated with temples & shrines in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 1057 prints tagged with temples & shrines, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.