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
Untitled-bodhisattva figures
description
Woodblock print
Asakusa Kannon Hall, from the series Recollections of Tokyo
1945
Color woodblock print
Buddha Asuyra Nara (C)
Woodblock print
Buddha Asyura Nara (A)
Woodblock print
Buddha Miroku
Woodblock print
Chinese Temple Nagasaki
Woodblock print
Korean Statue of a Seated Bodhisattva, Shôwa period,
Woodblock print
Kozan-ji Temple (B)
Woodblock print
Okuno-Hosomichi Cyuson-ji Hiraizumi - temple
Woodblock print
Temple
Woodblock print
Untitled (Small Temple)
1907
Color woodblock print
Side Gate of a Confucian temple in Formosa
Woodblock print
Hexagonal Hall for Buddhist Scriptures at Kokei-zan Temple, Gifu
1952
Woodblock print
Hiratsuka Shrine, Tokyo
1933
Woodblock print
Hokki-ji Temple, Nara
1970
Woodblock print
Höryüji Temple
Woodblock print
Mihonoseki, Izumo
1955
Woodblock print
Mountains of Izumo, Shimane Prefecture
1932
Color woodblock print
Nishdai Gate, Horyu Temple
1948
Woodblock print
Obaiin Garden at Daitokuji Temple, Kyoto
1963
Woodblock print
Old Roof Tile of Kokobunji Temple, Izumo (Izumo Kokubunji Furu-gawara)
1985
Woodblock print
Road to Izumo Mountain Hot Spring
1942
Color woodblock print
Rooftop of the Yumedono, Horyuji Temple, Nara
1950
Woodblock print
Soyangsa Temple in Inner Diamond Mountain (Nae Keum Kang), Korea
1940
Woodblock print
Stone Bodhisattva at Datong
Woodblock print
Stone Bodhisattva in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
1971
Woodblock print
Stone Buddha "Vishnu" Yungkang Cave Temple, Mongolia
1949
Woodblock print
Sutra Depository at Iwayaji Temple, Aichi Prefecture
1940
Woodblock print
The Kaminari Gate, Asakusa, from the series Scenes After the Tokyo Earthquake
1925
Color woodblock print
![Title unknown [Temple grounds] by Hiratsuka Un'ichi](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/135549.jpg)
Title unknown [Temple grounds]
mid 20th century
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Ujibashi Bridge to the Grand Shrine of Ise, Mie
1942
Woodblock print
Yakushiji Temple Pagoda West of Nara (Nara Nishi-no-kyo, Yakushiji to)
1962
Woodblock print
Kakegawa: Mountain-Top Kannon
Woodblock print
Mishima : Mishima Shrine
Woodblock print
Spring at Chomei Temple
Woodblock print
Water-Drawing Festival (omizutori) at the Nigatsudo Hall of Todaiji, Nara
2000
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Top: Cheerful Foxes at the Mimeguri Shrine on the Banks of the Sumida River; Bottom: A famous jockey at Shōkonsha
January 1881
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
A Picture of Deep Snow at Tosho Shrine at Ueno
Woodblock print
Ayase-gawa Asakusa-dera enkei / Musashi Hyakkei no uchi
Woodblock print
Koromo River below Tennō-ji Temple
1880
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Midday at Zojoji in Shiba
Woodblock print
Old Rakan Temple, Yamakei, Bungo Province, from
Woodblock print
Picture of Taira no Tadamori Capturing the Priest of Midō Temple
c. 1884
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Summer Night at Asakusa Kuramae
1881
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Tarö Inari Shrine at Asakusa Rice Fields
Woodblock print
Ueno Toshogu Sekisetsu no zu
Woodblock print
Umewaka Shrine (Umewaka Jinja)
Meiji period, circa 1879
Unmatted ukiyo-e woodblock print in ōban format; ink and colors on paper, with printed signature reading "Kobayashi Kiyochika"
A true picture of the Benten Shrine at Inokashira
Woodblock print
Celebration - Visiting the Shrine for Shichigosan — Iwai
Woodblock print
Fuji from a temple balcony
Woodblock print
Onodera Junai Hidekazu 小野寺十内秀和 / Gishi shijushichi zu 義士四十七図
Woodblock print
![Title unknown [Fuji seen from a temple balcony] by Ogata Gekko](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/136698.jpg)
Title unknown [Fuji seen from a temple balcony]
1903–1907
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Famous Views of Tokyo: The Kinryuzan Sensoji Temple
Woodblock print
Kotohiki Shrine, Sanuki Province, Moon, from
Woodblock print
Sightseeing in Asakusa Park
Woodblock print
Touring Asakusa Park
Woodblock print
Buddha
Contemporary - Circa 1976.
Woodblock print
Ginkakuji-Snow
1979
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Famous Views of Japan: Mountain Temple in Yamagata (Nihon meisho zu-e: Yamagata no yamadera)
Woodblock print
A Perspective View: The Two Deva Kings Gate of Kinryuzan Temple (Ukie: Kinryuzan niomon no zu)
1781/89
Color 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.