A Snow Man

A snowman composition by Hiyoshi Mamoru — a subject that bridges the traditional Japanese iconography of winter (bamboo under snow, pine trees bending under snow, figures in snowy landscapes) and the Western-influenced modern winter imagery that became part of Japanese popular culture during the Meiji and Taisho periods. The snowman (yuki-daruma, literally snow-daruma, after the round meditation figure) is among the most universally legible of winter images, its appeal to children and adults alike making it a natural subject for a printmaker interested in the everyday social pleasures of Japanese life. The round stacked forms of the snowman offer a playful geometric simplicity suited to the woodblock medium.