Back to gallery
Twenty Views of Tokyo: Zozo-ji Temple

Art Appreciation

This evocative woodblock print captures a serene snowfall at a grand temple, its vivid vermilion structure standing bold against a softly falling white landscape. The composition is elegantly framed by snow-laden branches in the foreground, which cascade downward like delicate brushstrokes, inviting the viewer’s eye toward the temple’s majestic rooflines. A solitary figure, cloaked in traditional attire and shaded by a broad, straw hat, ambles quietly through the scene, evoking a sense of peaceful solitude amid the wintry hush.

The artist’s masterful use of color employs a restrained palette dominated by deep reds, muted greys, and whites, which together create a harmonious contrast and enhance the quiet, contemplative mood. The fine pattern of falling snowflakes, rendered with meticulous detail, adds a layer of texture and movement, while the stark outline of the temple against the sky gives the image a timeless, almost meditative quality. Rooted in early 20th-century Japan, this work blends traditional ukiyo-e methods with modern sensibilities, reflecting an enduring reverence for nature and culture through the fleeting beauty of a snowstorm.

Twenty Views of Tokyo: Zozo-ji Temple

Hasui Kawase

Category:

Created:

1925

Likes:

0

Dimensions:

4112 × 6040 px

Download:

Related artworks

Spring Night at Ueno Toshogu
Travel Notes I (Travel Souvenirs First Collection) Bōshū Iwai-no-hama 1920
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine 1931
Nagoya City, Zuizen Temple, 1932
Cherry Blossoms at Shirakawa Castle Ruins 1946
Hokkaido Ōnuma Park 1934
Travel Notes III (Travel Souvenirs Third Collection) Akita Kusunuma Marsh 1927
Travel Notes II Kanazawa Shimohondamachi 1921
Tsukuda Sumiyoshi Shrine, 1936
Snow at Kōnuma, Mito
View of the Garden from the Western-style Mansion
Mountain Temple in Yamagata, 1941
Sobu Garden, Meiji Shrine