Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine

A vermilion shrine gate at the top of a broad flight of grey steps, its black plaque hung between the eaves. A ginkgo in full autumn yellow leans across the left half, dark pines climb the hill behind, and a few figures work their way up: a man in brown halfway, a woman in red with a child at the bottom among the pigeons.

The ginkgo is a mass of near-identical yellow leaves and the steps are near-identical grey, so the shrine itself is where you start. Finished size 45.7 x 68.6cm.