Children building snowman
by Ito Takashi
Description
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.
More Prints by Ito Takashi
More Snow Scenes Prints

Fair Weather After Snow at Yamato Bridge, Kyoto (Yamato bashi no yukibare), Taishô period, dated 1924
Woodblock print

The Compound of the Tenman Shrine at Kameido in the Snow (Kameido Tenmangu keidai no yuki), from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho)"
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban

Miyajima in Snow (Yuki no Miyajima)
Yuki no Miyajima
1929
Color woodblock print; oban

Evening Snow at Shiha Park, Tokyo
1932
Woodblock print
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Children building snowman was created by Ito Takashi (伊東孝).
Children building snowman depicts snow scenes, children, and architecture.



