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
Hachiman Shrine, Ichigaya
Woodblock print
Kanada Myojin Shrine
Woodblock print
Toeizan Temple
Woodblock print
Temple
1953
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Stillness (Sand Garden No. 2, Tenry?ji Temple)
1958
Woodblock print
Chion Temple, Kyoto, from the series "Collection of Scenic Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition" (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen, Kyoto Chionin)
August 1933
Color woodblock print
Hall of the Golden Hue, Chuson Temple, Hiraizumi, from the series “Collection of Scenic Views of Japan, Eastern Japan Edition” (Nihon fukei shu higashi Nihon hen, Hiraizumi Chusonji Konjikido)
October, 1935
Color woodblock print
Kannon Temple at Abuto (Abuto no Kannon), from the series "Selection of Views of Japan (Nihon fukei senshu)"
Abuto no Kannon
1922
Color woodblock print; oban
Kansanomiya Shrine at Tazawa Lake (Tazawako Kansanomiyagu), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu)"
Tazawako Kansanomiyagu
1927
Color woodblock print; oban
Matsue, Izumo, from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshū)
1924
Color woodblock print
![Misty Moonlight at Matsue in Izumo Province (Izumo Matsue [oborozuki]), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu)" by Kawase Hasui](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/7b184838-7c8e-01f1-cefe-43fe3e3bc339/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Misty Moonlight at Matsue in Izumo Province (Izumo Matsue [oborozuki]), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu)"
Izumo Matsue [oborozuki]
1924
Color woodblock print; oban
Pagoda at Honmon Temple, Ikegami (Ikegami Honmonji no to)
Ikegami Honmonji no to
1954
Color woodblock print
Pulguk Temple, Kyongiu, from the series "Eight Views of Korea" (Chosen hakkei, Keishu Bukkokuji)
September 1939
Color woodblock print
Rain at Nara, the Pagoda at Kofuku Temple (Nara no ame Kofukuji no to)
Nara no ame Kofukuji no to
1951
Color woodblock print
Buddha
Woodblock print
Snow at Kiyomizu Hall, Ueno (Ueno Kiyomizudo no yuki)
Ueno Kiyomizudo no yuki
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
Snow at Zojoji Temple (Yuki no Zojoji)
Yuki no Zojoji
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
Cherry Blossoms at Toshogu Shrine
Woodblock print
![Spring Snow at Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto (Haru no yuki [Kyoto Kiyomizu]) by Kawase Hasui](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/07f4e5b6-3545-ecef-6d04-6f5741e62c38/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Spring Snow at Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto (Haru no yuki [Kyoto Kiyomizu])
Haru no yuki [Kyoto Kiyomizu]
April, 1932
Color woodblock print; oban
The Inokashira Benten Shrine in Snow (Shato no yuki)
Shato no yuki
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
Zojoji Temple in Shiba (Shiba Zojoji), from the series "Twenty Views of Tokyo (Tokyo nijukkei)"
Shiba Zojoji
1925
Color woodblock print
Yasugi Kiyomizu Temple, Izumo Province (Izumo, Yasugi Kiyomizu), from the series "Selection of Views of Japan (Nihon fukei senshu)"
Izumo, Yasugi Kiyomizu
1926
Color woodblock print; oban
Green Buddha
Woodblock print
Stone Buddha
1947
Color woodblock print
Snow at Shiba Zojoji Temple
芝増上寺の雪
c. 1920
Color woodblock print
Benten Shrine at Inokashira Pond
井之頭弁天
1953
Woodblock print
Blooming Cherry at Toshogu Shrine
東照宮の桜
1935
Color woodblock print
Cherry and Toshogu
Woodblock print
Cherry Blossoms at Heian Jingu Shrine
Woodblock print
Evening Sky at Suwa Shrine, Nippori
日暮里 諏訪神社の夕空
1932
Color woodblock print
Great Lantern at Asakusa Kannon Temple
浅草観音堂大提灯
1934
Color woodblock print
Great Lantern at Sensoji Temple
Woodblock print
Moon and Engaku Temple
Woodblock print
Shiba Zojoji Temple
芝増上寺
1934
Woodblock print
Spring Rain at Yushima Tenjin Shrine
湯島天神 春の雨
1935
Color woodblock print
Suwa Shrine in Nippori
Woodblock print
Ueno Toshogu Shrine
上野東照宮
1953
Woodblock print
Zojoji Temple in Snow
増上寺の雪
1953
Woodblock print
Shrine of the Rock (Iwa no hokora)
1965
Color lithograph on paper; edition 1/50
Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine (first edition)
Woodblock print
A Lay Nun from the Kannon Sutra
1938
Woodblock print
Baramon, from the Kannon Sutra
1938
Woodblock print
Kannon
1954
Woodblock print
Mokukenren from Great Disciples of Buddha
1939
Woodblock print
Buddha with Flower
Woodblock print
Kokubun-ji Temple at Hida, Gifu Prefecture
1942
Color woodblock print
Asakusa Scene
1962
Stencil print (kappazuri), ink and color on paper
February; Inari Shrine Fesival
Woodblock print
NIO (temple guardian)
Woodblock print
TORI NO ICHI festival at OTAKA shrine
Woodblock print
#69 Theatre at Asakusa
Woodblock print
Torii and Streetcar at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Taishô period, circa 1925
Woodblock print
Sengakuji Temple in Snow (Yuki no Sengakuji), from the series "One Hundred Views of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era (Showa dai Tokyo fukei hyaku zue hanga)"
1932
Color woodblock print; oban
Evening Glow over Asakusa Bridge
Woodblock print
Imperial Family at Yasukuni Shinto Shrine
Woodblock print
![[Toshagu Shrine, Ueno] by Inoue Yasuji](https://data.ukiyo-e.org/famsf/images/3306201405530048.jpg)
[Toshagu Shrine, Ueno]
Woodblock print
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Asakusa Hirokoji Broadway
Woodblock print
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Distant View of Tsukiji-monzeki Temple
Woodblock print
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Evening View of Asakusa Park
Woodblock print
True Pictures of Famous Places in Tokyo: Gubo-ji Temple, Mama
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.