Winter in Miyama

Miyama is a mountainous area in northern Kyoto Prefecture known for its remarkably well-preserved thatched-roof farmhouses, called kayabuki no sato. These steep-roofed structures, designed to shed heavy snowfall, create one of Japan's most photogenic rural landscapes when covered in winter white. Tatsuo Kawashima's oban woodblock print depicts this snow-covered village, where the thick thatch roofs become rounded domes of white and the surrounding cedar forests stand dark against the snowy fields. Winter in Miyama is severe by Kyoto standards, with heavy snowfalls that can reach a meter or more, transforming the village into an almost fairy-tale scene. The woodblock medium excels at snow imagery, using the unprinted white of the paper as the snow surface itself and building up the surrounding landscape in contrast: dark trees, grey sky, and the warm brown of thatch visible beneath its snow cap.