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
Mt Hiei — 比叡
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Shishinden
Woodblock print
Kyoto Woodcuts
Woodblock print
Original Print from the publication Kyoto Woodcuts, Shôwa period, circa 1960-1978
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Near Omuro — Omuro fukin
Woodblock print
Amritsar 1916
1916
Drawing
Kameido
Woodblock print
#7. Kandamyojiu
Woodblock print
Omi Hakkei zenzu Ishiyama kara miru 近江八景全図石山から見る
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Yoshimitsu
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Kyoto Giion sairei 京都祇園祭礼 / Shokoku Meisho Hyakkei 諸国名所百景
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Higashiyama
Not set
Woodblock print
Eight Noted Places of Kyoto- Complete Eight-Print Set With Album
Woodblock print
Shimosa Naritasan keidai 下総成田山境内 / Shokoku meisho hyakkei 諸国名所百景
Woodblock print
Kameido Tenmangu keidai yuki / Toto Meisho
Woodblock print
Harvard Art Museum
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Shiba Furukawa — 芝古川
Woodblock print
Viewing votive paintings
c. 1800
Color woodblock print; nagaban, surimono
Tiruchchirappalli
Woodblock print
Kyoto Higashiyama - 京・東山
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Untitled (nomura-yoshimitsu)
Woodblock print
Kamakura Daibutsu
Woodblock print
Ikegami Honmonji
Woodblock print
Album
Woodblock print
Miyajima in the Morning
Woodblock print
Abuto in the Morning, from the series "Abuto"
1930
Color woodblock print
Mitoku I (ed. 4/15)
Woodblock print
Rakuhoku in Kyoto
Woodblock print
Shosoin, Nara
1958
Woodblock print, ink on paper
The Shoso-in Repository at Todai-ji
1953
Woodblock print
Hōrinji in Yamato
1946
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Wooden Horses from Naha and Mutsu
mid–20th century
Color woodblock print
Miya
Woodblock print
Fujisawa
Woodblock print
Inner Sanctuary of Kōya-san
1941
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Nichiren Shoin
1937
Woodblock print, ink on paper
Tōdai-ji, the Shōsō-in
Shōwa period, dated 1941
Woodblock print; ink on paper
Nara Park (small aizuri-e)
Woodblock print
Lakeside at the Byödö-In
Woodblock print
Heirinji
Woodblock print
Sanzen'in ,Ohara, 1960
Woodblock print
The Swordsmith on Mount Inari
1887
Ginkaku-ji
Woodblock print
No Series Yasaka Neighborhood
Woodblock print
Ito, Nisaburo
Woodblock print
Golden Pavillion in the mist
Woodblock print
Omuro
Woodblock print
Graveyard of Sengakuji
Woodblock print
Tennoji shimo Koromogawa
Woodblock print
Nikko
1966
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
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.