Snow at Yomei Gate in Nikko

Description

Snow at Yomei Gate, Nikko depicts Japan's most famous gate, Yomeimon, or Gate of Sunlight, part of the Nikko Toshogu shrine. Built in 1636 and maintained well throughout the ages, Yomeimon is an imposing gate, decorated with an enormous number of golden leaves and containing over 500 sculptures. They depict ancient stories as well. For example, one of Sima Guang, who as a child broke a valuable water vat without any hesitation to save a playmate who had fallen into it, affirming that material goods are incomparable to human life in value. As such, the gate conveys much more than lavish decoration. It is said that it contains so much that one can look at it endlessly, giving it yet another name: the all-day gate. The Yomei Gate has been depicted by the who's who of Shin-hanga artists, with Hiroshi Yoshida, Takahashi Shotei, Kawase Hasui, and Tsuchiya Koitsu all having created prints of the gate as well. The woodblock print by Takahashi Shotei is closest to Kasamatsu Shiro's in that it also shows Yomeimon in snow, but in quite a different style.