Werner Bischof's Meiji Shrine Snow Scene Examined in Doppiozero Essay

In an essay titled "Il tocco lieve di Werner Bischof," published on doppiozero on August 19, 2026, authors Giampiero Comolli and Anna Stefi analyze a photograph taken by Werner Bischof in Tokyo during the winter of 1951. The image depicts two Shinto priests, their long black hair contrasting with white robes, walking slowly through the courtyard of the Meiji Shrine beneath wide umbrellas while snow falls heavily. The scene is characterized by a stark palette of white, black, and gray: the sky, the sloping roofs of a boundary wall, and the empty esplanade appear uniformly white, while the tall, bare trunks of four trees stand out in black. The priests move toward an open square portal in the wall, protected by a sloping roof, suggesting a passage or threshold.