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
A Hundred Views of Musashi: Honmonji Temple at Ikegami
Woodblock print
Itsukkushima Shrine, from
Woodblock print
Kameido Shrine, from
Woodblock print
Taira no Tadamori Captures the Priest of Midô Temple (Taira no Tadamori Midô hôshi o toraeru zu), c. 1883-1884
Woodblock print
Shrine Scene
Woodblock print
Clearing Weather after Rain at Zenköji Temple in Kawaguchi
Woodblock print
View of Ekitö gan Confucian Temple
Woodblock print
Autumn Colors at Netsuke Shrine
Woodblock print
Cleaning Sky at Zenkoji Temple, Kawaguchi — 川口善光寺雨晴
Woodblock print
Benten Shrine in Ikenohata — 池の端弁天
Woodblock print
Taro-inari Shrine at Asakusa
Woodblock print
Tenmagu shrine at Kameido
Woodblock print
The Pagoda of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto
Woodblock print
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Asakusa Kannon Temple
Woodblock print
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Tenno-ji Temple, Yanaka
Woodblock print
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: View of Umewaka Shrine in the Rain
Woodblock print
Byodo-In Temple — 平等院鳳凰堂
Woodblock print
"Hatsumode (A Visit to a Shrine on New Year's Day) (1)"
Woodblock print
Famous Views of Japan: The Torii Gate at Miyajima (Nihon meisho zu-e: Miyajima no torii)
Woodblock print
Gion Yasaka Torii-mae - 祇園八坂鳥居前
1930
Woodblock print
Nikko no to (Nikko Pagoda)
1950
Woodblock print
Pagoda
Not set
Woodblock print
Women and children viewing wisteria at Kameido Shrine
Woodblock print
The nobleman Wake no Kiyomaro visiting the Usa Hachiman Shrine
Woodblock print
Hagi (Bush Clover) Flowers at Ryuganji Temple, Kameido
Woodblock print
Torii of Kudan
Woodblock print
Cherry Blossoms, Heian Shrine
Woodblock print
A Temple Gate in Shiba Park, Tokyo
Woodblock print
After the Rain at Sanno Shrine (Sanno no Amego)
Woodblock print
Asama shrine in Shizuoka
Woodblock print
Autumn at Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto
Woodblock print
Byodo-in Temple in Uji-Renge near Kyoto
Woodblock print
Chüson Temple
Woodblock print
Chionin Temple in Kyoto
Woodblock print
Collection of Scenic Views of Japan II, Kansai edition: Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen: Kyoto Kiyomizudera)
Woodblock print
Daigo Denpoin Temple, Kiyoto
Woodblock print
Early Summer Rain at the Sannô Shrine (Samidare furu Sannô), from the series Twelve Scenes of Tokyo (Tôkyô jûnidai)
Woodblock print
Tori McLean
Pagoda at Ikaruga J
Woodblock print
Red Five Storey Pagoda in Spring
Woodblock print
Blue Dove (Aoi tori)
Woodblock print
Shato no Yuki Hie Jinja
Woodblock print
Yamano Tera, Sendai
Woodblock print
Umewaka Jinja
Woodblock print
Approach to the Shrine
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Atagoyama Shrine
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Five Storied Pagoda Hagurosan
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Miyamairi (Visiting the Shrine)
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Shomyo ji Temple in Kanazawabunko
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
The Light Shines on Fushimi Torii
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Tsubasan Shrine
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Kaiji (Temple by the Sea)
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Temple in Green
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Hydrangeas in Kamakura-(Tokeiji Temple)
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Japanese Portable Shrine (493)
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Temple Bell (592)
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Zozoji Temple
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Stone garden of Ryoan-ji Temple
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Pagoda In Kyoto
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
Ishiyama Temple
Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
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.