すみた川いてや棹させ雪見舟 / Fujin fuzoku tsukushi 婦人風俗尽

The "Fujin fuzoku tsukushi" (婦人風俗尽, "A Compendium of Women's Customs") series documented feminine leisure, dress, and social customs drawn from both historical and contemporary Meiji life. The inscription すみた川いてや棹させ雪見舟 ("Let us pole the boat on the Sumida River for snow-viewing") invokes the traditional pastime of viewing snow from shallow-draft boats on the Sumida—a winter leisure activity associated with both Heian court culture and the Edo townspeople's seasonal customs. The print likely depicts one or more bijin in layered winter robes aboard such a vessel, the riverbanks or distant shore rendered under snow. Gekko's figure drawing balances the decorative surface of patterned kimono—specific textile designs identifying social status or historical era—against the cool, restrained palette of the winter river setting. The integration of a poetic inscription with a figural composition follows classical Japanese pictorial conventions, linking the image to literary tradition.