Temples & Shrines Prints (980)
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
Two Crows on a Branch Overlooking Asakusa at Dawn
1883
Hanging scroll: ink and color on silk
Moon Temple
Mokuhanga and etching with hand colouring
Steps to the Shrine
2013
Woodblock
Buddha Asyura (D)
1959
Color woodcut
Evening Glow at Suwa Shrine, Nippori
1932
Woodblock Print
Great lantern at Asakusa Kannondo
1934
Woodblock Print
Sakura Ueno Shrine
1935
Woodblock Print
Peony Flowers at Hasedera Temple
Woodblock Print
Kinryuzan Temple
1938
Woodblock
Kofukuji Temple
1937
Woodblock Print
Shimotsuke Kurokamiyama Kirifuri no taki 下野黒髪山きりふりの瀧 / Shokoku Taki-meguri 諸国瀧廻り
Woodblock print
Sazai Hall at the Temple of the Five Hundred Rakan (Gohyakurakandera sazaido), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)
Woodblock print
Oji Inari Shrine (Oji Inari no yashiro), from the series “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)”
Color woodblock print
Ichigaya Hachiman Shrine (Ichigaya Hachiman), from the series “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)”
Color woodblock print
The Pagoda at Zojo Temple and Akabane (Zojoji to, Akabane), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)"
Color woodblock print
Distant View of Azuma Bridge and Kinryuzan Temple (Azumabashi Kinryuzan enbo), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)"
Color woodblock print
A Test of Skill - the Headwaters of Amorousness (Jitsu kurabe iro no minakami): Osan and Mohei
Woodblock print
Pagoda Reflected in Sarusawa Pond, Nara, from the series "Ten Views of Nara"
1960
Woodblock print
Hako-O Maru (Soga Goro as a Boy) near Waterfall, Writing Bonji Characters on a Rock, While Holding up an Statue of the God Fudo with one Hand.
Woodblock print
Actor Ichikawa Kodanji IV as Torii Matasuke
1860, 3rd lunar month
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Frozen: The Appearance of a Fukagawa Nakamichi Geisha of the Tempo Era (1830-44)
1888
Woodblock print
Fukami Jikyu (fukami jikyū)
1887
Kō Musashi-no-kami Moronao
second half 1860s
Preparatory drawing for a print, ink and color on paper
The Sun Goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami
February 1882
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Ushiwakamaru, Son of Distinguished Family and Later Iyo-no-kami Minamoto Yoshitsune and Saitō Musashibō Benkei
October 1878
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Windy Deity, Shôwa period, dated 1966
Woodblock print
Benten Torii at Nezugaseki
1939
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Pagoda, Nara
塔 奈良
1964
Color woodblock print
Five-storied Pagoda at Nikko (Nikko Goju no to)
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
![Five-storied Pagoda at Nikkō [bright sky] by Tsuchiya Koitsu](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/80121.jpg)
Five-storied Pagoda at Nikkō [bright sky]
c. 1928–1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Nikko 5 Story Pagoda
Woodblock print
Kiyomizu kei (Visiting Kiyomizu Temple)
Woodblock print
Guardian Deity
1964
Stencil on paper
Great Torii Gate at Kudan
1945
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Meiji Shrine
Woodblock print
Single block print, Pagoda
Woodblock print
Postard pagoda and pine tree
Woodblock print
Pagoda in Kyoto- Goju no To
1942
Woodblock print
The Pagoda
1909
Color woodcut
A pagoda in the country
Woodblock print
Old Pagoda, Shôwa period, dated 1960
Woodblock print
The Old Pagoda (Koto) E
1966
Woodblock print; edition 13/50
No. 168 - Torii and Persimmons
Silkscreen (serigraph)
Temple Roof
Woodblock print
C-24- View from the top of a pagoda
Woodblock print
Five Story Pagoda
Woodblock print
Five-storied Pagoda (Goju no to)
c. 1936
Color woodblock print
Furona from Great Disciples of Buddha
Woodblock print
Temple Garden (Artist's Proof), Shôwa period, 1964
Woodblock print
Pagoda Tyoyo, in Early Spring, Manchuria
1948
Woodblock print
Pagoda
Woodblock print
Pagoda at Jōruriji, Yamashiro
1960
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Pagoda of Joruriji (Joruriji no to, Yamato)
1960
Woodblock print
Torii Gate
Woodblock print
Kanaya: Five-Storied Pagoda
Woodblock print
The Golden Temple Amritsar
Woodblock print
Pagoda at Ikaruga K
Woodblock print
Mokenren from Great Disciples of Buddha
Woodblock print
The Pass to The Kiyomizu Temple
Woodblock print
Ragora from Great Disciples of Buddha
Woodblock print
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, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Kotozuka Eiichi 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 980 prints tagged with temples & shrines, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.