Details

In Eiheiji Temple at Night, Junichirō Sekino renders a scene of spiritual stillness with masterful restraint. A Buddhist temple lies nestled deep within a forest, glimpsed through a rhythmic sequence of snow-laden trees. Their trunks rise in vertical procession, each finely grained and unique, yet harmoniously aligned in a way that evokes the quiet breath of winter itself. The temple structure, small in scale but symbolically weighted, glows faintly with reflected moonlight, its windows appearing almost as eyes peering into the solemn night.

Rendered entirely in grayscale tones, the print evokes a meditative atmosphere, drawing the viewer into the hushed sanctity of Eiheiji — one of the principal temples of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism. The bare white branches, etched like memory against a deep black sky, weave a veil of contemplative silence. Snow drapes the ground in curving waves, heightening the sense of serenity and isolation. Here, nature and architecture coexist in serene equilibrium, both observed with the artist’s characteristic balance of realism and abstraction.

Connoisseur's Note

Sekino, a central figure in the postwar Sōsaku Hanga movement, was known for his technical virtuosity and expressive line. This late-career work demonstrates a refined compositional elegance paired with a deep spiritual sensitivity. The choice of monochrome is especially significant—rather than diminish the work’s power, it enhances the solemnity of the scene and foregrounds Sekino’s attention to texture, grain, and contrast.

Eiheiji, founded in the 13th century by Dōgen Zenji, is not merely a temple but a seat of deep Buddhist practice. In Sekino’s hands, the site is transformed into a dreamlike space—an almost sacred void where viewer and subject dissolve into one moment of wintry reflection.