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
Asakusa Festival (Asakusa matsuri), from the illustrated book "Picture Book of Amusements of the East (Ehon Azuma asobi)"
c. 1802
Color woodblock print; double-page illustration from book
Evening bell at Mii Temple
Unknown
Color woodblock print
Kannon Temple (Kannon), from the series Dutch-style Pictures: Eight Views of Edo (Oranda gakyo Edo hakkei)
Woodblock print
Ochanomizu in Kanda Mojin Shrine
Woodblock print
The Kibune Shrine
1785-1787
The Meguro Fudo Temple
1785-1787
The Mokuboji Temple by the Sumida River
1785-1787
The Myoken Hall of the Hosshoji Temple at Yanagishima
1785-1787
The Nezu Gongen Shrine
1785-1787
Tokaido Sakanoshita Kiyotaki Kannon / Shokoku taki-meguri
Woodblock print
Visitors to the Hachiman shrine
c. 1803/04
Color woodblock print
Women Visiting the Shrine of Shoichii Taro Inari Daimyo
about 1804
Color woodblock print; long surimono
#33. Zojoji
Woodblock print
Miya: Religious Festival at Atsuta Shrine (Miya, Atsuta shinji), from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Tokaido gojusan tsugi no uchi)," also known as the Hoeido Tokaido
c. 1833/34
Color woodblock print; oban
The Gion Temple in Snow (Gionsha setchu), from the series "Famous Places in Kyoto (Kyoto meisho no uchi)"
c. 1834
Color woodblock print; oban
Visiting the Fudo Temple in Meguro (Meguro Fudo mode), from the series "Famous Places in Edo (Koto meisho)"
c. 1832/34
Color woodblock print; oban
Asakusa Imado, from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto Meisho)"
c. 1832/33
Color woodblock print; oban
Bell at Miidera Temple
Woodblock print
Kitashirakawa Iwabuchi Tankai in Combat with Ushiwakamaru (Yoshitsune) Before the Tenjin Temple at Gojo in Kyoto.
Woodblock print
Near Chion-in
1985
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Two Lanterns
Woodblock print
Jōruriji-Kyoto
1974
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Shimogamo-Kyoto
1971
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Morning of Abuto
1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
A Corridor at Miyajima (Miyajima no kairo)
Miyajima no kairo
1949
Color woodblock print
No Series Nikko No To
Woodblock print
#43. Sannogongen
Woodblock print
Toto Aoi-ga-oka no taki 東都葵ヶ岡の瀧 / Shokoku Taki-meguri 諸国瀧廻り
Woodblock print
#28. Fukagawahachiman
Woodblock print
#40. Atagoyama
Woodblock print
Onshi Park, Shiba (Shiba Onshi koen)
1937
Color woodblock print; oban
#31. Tepposu Inari
Woodblock print
Nigatsudö
1926
Woodblock print
Enoshima
Unknown
Color woodblock print
Imakumano
Woodblock print
Koyasan - Famous, Sacred and Historical Places
Woodblock print
Miyajima in the Mist (Kiri no Miyajima)
1947
Color woodblock print
Offering Pails of Water
c. 1790
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Nara Park
n.d. [1952]
Color woodblock print
Hatsumode — 初詣
Not set
Woodblock print
#19. Matsuchiyama
Woodblock print
#27. Suzaki Benten
Woodblock print
#25. Kameido Tenjin
Woodblock print
#8. Yushima
Woodblock print
#32. Shiba
Woodblock print
Lanterns and Red Maples
Woodblock print
Cemetery at Sengakuji, from the series Recollections of Tokyo
1945
Color woodblock print
#26. Gohyakurakan
Woodblock print
#38. Megurofudo
Woodblock print
Teppozu, from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho)"
c. 1832/33
Color woodblock print; oban
#21. Asakua
Woodblock print
#23. Yanagijima
Woodblock print
#15. Oji
Woodblock print
#9. Shinobazunoike Benten
Woodblock print
#46. Tchigayahachiman
Woodblock print
Misty Day in Nikko
1937
Color woodblock print
Shiba Benten ike
1929
Color woodcut
Miyajima
Woodblock print
#37. Akibasan
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
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.