I was in Japan from September 1st - 11th to attend my sister in-law's wedding in Kyoto. The ceremony was held at Nishi Honganji, the headquarters of their Buddhist temple in the older section of the city and was visually stunning. Since we were busy with the family, I only had a few brief opportunities to paint.
The first one is based on my memory of the wedding day. The ceremony was held in a building adjacent to the main temple and afterwards, we walked in a procession to the main temple as an attendant held up a red umbrella in front of the newlyweds.
The other two gouache studies are from life of the main entrance of the Nishi Honganji temple gates. One is painted from the courtyard inside the grounds and the other is across the street from the gate.
