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
Golden Pavilion - Kinkakuji
Not set
Woodblock print
Great Gate of Heian Shrine
Not set
Woodblock print
Kamigamo Shrine — 上賀茂神社
Not set
Woodblock print
Kasuga Shrine - 春日神社
1950
Woodblock print
Kasuga Shrine in winter — 春日神社
circa 1950-1970
Woodblock print
Kitano Shrine in Early Spring
Not set
Woodblock print
Kiyomizu-Dera Temple
1950
Woodblock print
Kiyomizu Temple
Not set
Woodblock print
Kiyomizu Temple in Autumn
Not set
Woodblock print
Kofukuji Temple Pagoda - 興福寺塔
1950
Woodblock print
Lake Chuzenjiko in Autumn — 中禅寺湖
1928
Woodblock print
Near Yasaka Shrine
Not set
Woodblock print
Nigatsu-do Temple and Deer
Not set
Woodblock print
Niwa Temple Gate — 仁和寺山門
Not set
Woodblock print
Niwaji Temple Gate - 仁和寺山門
1930
Woodblock print
Toshogu Shrine (Toshogu)
Toshogu
1937
Color woodblock print
Sanctuary of Muroji Temple, Nara
1960
Woodblock print
Way to the Kasuga Shrine
1938
Color woodblock print
Snowy Dawn at Nigetsudo Temple — 二月堂雪旦
circa 1950-1970
Woodblock print
Toji 5-Storey Pagoda — 東寺五重塔
Not set
Woodblock print
Toji Tempe Five-Storey Pagoda - 東寺五重塔
1930
Woodblock print
Yakushi Temple and the Vicinity — 奈良薬師寺付近
circa 1950-1970
Woodblock print
Temple Gate
1912
Color woodcut
Snow, Moon, and Cherries at Kiyomizu
Woodblock print
Temple Gate
20th century
Color woodblock print
Temple Garden (Artist's Proof), Shôwa period, 1964
Woodblock print
Autumn Temple
Woodblock print
Izumi Temple
Woodblock print
Kanshuji Temple
1976
Etching
Ninnai Temple #647
Woodblock print
Temple bell tower (Daitokuji)
1964
Etching and aquatint, ink on paper
Zen Temple
Woodblock print
Snow At Hiunkaku Temple - 雪の飛雲閣
1996
Woodblock print
Mitate No.58 - Shrine Dogs (Koma-inu)
2002
Mitate No.88 - Great Buddha (Daibutsu)
2011
Stone Garden of Ryoanji Temple, Kyoto (Ryoan Fixed Stones)
Woodblock print
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto
Woodblock print
Monk at a Mountain Temple
20th century
Color woodblock print
Temple Compound in the Mountains
Woodblock print
Genzo Temple, Miyazaki, Saitama Prefecture (Miyazaki Genzoji (Saitama ken))
July 1955
Color woodblock print
Phoenix Hall, Byodo Temple, Udi, from the series "Collection of Scenic Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition" (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen, Uji Byodoin Hoodo)
September 1933
Color woodblock print
Ishiyama Temple (Ishiyamadera), from the series "Eight Views of Omi (Omi hakkei)"
1912
Color woodblock print
Mii Temple (Miidera), from the series “Eight Views of Omi (Omi hakkei) "
1912
Color woodblock print
Night Rain at Mii Temple, from the series "Eight Views of Ohmi"
1917
Color woodblock print
Asakusa Kannon-do
Woodblock print
M52- After snow at Hakone Shrine
Woodblock print
Temple of Kinugasa
Woodblock print
Tenjin Shrine at Yushima
Woodblock print
Ananda (Ananda), from the series "Two Bodhisattva and Ten Great Disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni (Nibosatsu Shaka judai deshi)"
1939 (printed 1959)
Woodblock print
Bodhisattva Manjusri (Monju bosatsu no saku), from the series Ten Great Disciples of the Buddha Sakyamuni (Shaka jûdai deshi), Shôwa period, undated (block carved 1948)
Shôwa period, 1926-1989
Woodblock print
(Kannon Goddess)
1950s
Woodblock print, hand colored
Kasennen (Katyayana), from the series "Two Bodhisattva and Ten Great Disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni (Nibosatsu Shaka judai deshi)"
1939 (printed 1955)
Woodblock print
Maudgalyayana (Mokukenren), from the series "Two Bodhisattva and Ten Great Disciples of Sakyamuni (Nibosatsu Shaka judai deshi)"
1939-68
Woodblock print
Monju Bosatsu (Bodhisattva Manjusri) (Bodhisattva of Wisdom)
1937
Woodblock print
Monju (Manjusri), from the series "Two Bodhisattva and Ten Great Disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni (Nibosatsu Shaka judai deshi)"
1939 (printed 1959)
Woodblock print
Ragora (Rahula), from the series "Two Bodhisattva and Ten Great Disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni (Nibosatsu Shaka judai deshi)"
1939-68
Woodblock print
Rahula, Two Bodhisattva and Ten Great Disciples of Sakyanmuni
1939/1948
Woodblock print
Shaka Sanson (Buddha with two Assistants)
1968
Woodblock print
Shubodai (Subhūti), from the series Two Bodhisattvas and Ten Great Disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni (Nibosatsu Shaka jūdai deshi)
1939-68
Woodblock print
Ubari (Upali), from the series "Two Bodhisattva and Ten Great Disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni (Nibosatsu Shaka judai deshi)"
1939 (printed 1955)
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.