$500–$5,000. Snow and night scenes tend to command premium prices for this artist. Key value factors: Ito Takashi's prints published by Doi Hangaten are the most sought after. Night scenes and snow views command premiums.
Two or more children labor together to build a snowman in this oban woodblock print, their small figures bundled in winter clothing against the cold. Ito Takashi treats the scene with warmth rather than sentimentality, using the children's activity as a focal point within a broader winter landscape that includes architectural elements, likely a traditional Japanese house or wall providing a backdrop. The woodblock medium renders the snow in layered whites and pale blues while the children's garments provide contrasting spots of color. Unlike Ito's uninhabited mountain views, this print places human activity at its center, giving the composition a narrative quality. The subject recalls shin-hanga's occasional interest in figural genre scenes while remaining firmly grounded in Ito's primary concern with seasonal atmosphere and place.
Woodblock print
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Yuki no Miyajima
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
1932
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Children building snowman was created by Ito Takashi (伊東孝).
Children building snowman depicts snow scenes, children, and architecture.
