Snow Scenes Prints (870)
Snow scenes (yuki no keshiki) hold a special place in Japanese woodblock printmaking as one of the tradition's most technically demanding and aesthetically prized subjects. The challenge of depicting whiteness — using the paper itself as the primary "color" for snow — required exceptional planning from the artist and virtuosic restraint from the printer, who had to leave precise areas of the block unprinted while building up surrounding tones. Hiroshige's snow scenes, particularly in "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" and the "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido," established the visual vocabulary of the genre: falling flakes rendered as white spaces against dark skies, snow-laden branches bowing under crystalline weight, and human figures hunched against winter cold. His ability to convey the hush and stillness of a snow-covered landscape through the woodblock medium influenced every subsequent generation of printmakers. Kawase Hasui made snow scenes a signature specialty, producing dozens of views that are among shin-hanga's most sought-after images. His prints of temple gates, mountain villages, and riverside scenes under fresh snowfall achieve a crystalline clarity and contemplative calm that epitomize the movement's aesthetic. The technical achievement of these prints — particularly the subtle blue and gray gradations surrounding areas of pure white paper — represents some of the highest accomplishments of the woodblock printing craft.
Artists Known for Snow Scenes
Winter Orchard No. 1 (Fuyu no Kaki) (artist's proof)
1967
Etching
Winter Tree
1967
Etching, ink on paper
Winter Tree, Shôwa period, dated 1967
Woodblock print
Crevice-Work #6
1988
Mezzotint
Crevice - Work No. 2
1987
Mezzotint, ink and color on paper
Winter Mansion (Girinsô), Shôwa period,
Woodblock print
Winter - Cold Camellia Road
2022
Mezzotint
Snow Camellia
Woodblock print
Winter Mansion LE
Woodblock print
Lyrice of Season No.2
Woodblock print
Kiyomizu Temple in Winter
Woodblock print
In the snow, Nakayama-Shichin Road, Hida
Woodblock print
Snow at Shinobazu Benten Shrine
Woodblock print
Evening snow at Sanjukkenbori
Woodblock print
Snow on a clear day at Miyajima
Woodblock print
One of the Officers of the Warship Akagi ...
March 1895
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Space Voice — うつろな声
Woodblock print
Venice
1925
Woodblock Print
Maya's Sacrifice
1956
Woodblock print
Sacrifice
1956
Woodblock print
Fubuki (Snowstorm)
1932
Woodblock Print
Voice of Wind 103
1994
Acrylic and lead collage on paper
Winter Firework
2018
Mezzotint
Winter Fireworks
2019
Mezzotint
Snow at Tsukishima
Woodblock print
Fuyu no Inabanuma (Winter at Inabanuma)
Woodblock print
Tarö Inari Shrine at Asakusa Rice Fields
Woodblock print
![Kiyomizu in Spring Snow (Haru no Yuki [Kyô no Kiyomizu]), Shôwa period, dated 1932 by Kawase Hasui](https://data.ukiyo-e.org/harvard/images/HUAM-CARP10300.jpg)
Kiyomizu in Spring Snow (Haru no Yuki [Kyô no Kiyomizu]), Shôwa period, dated 1932
Woodblock print
Venice
Woodblock print
Snowspell
1989
Aquatint
Okuirise in Winter
Woodblock print
Winter Tree (work 74-72)
Woodblock print
Maiko (Apprentice Geisha)
1924
Woodblock Print
Crow in Snow (Settchû karasu)
Woodblock print
Zojoji Temple in Snow
Woodblock print
Snow at Ueno, Kiyomizudo
Woodblock print
Evening Snowfall at Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto
Woodblock print
Snow at Ueno Toshogu Shrine
Woodblock print
Snow at Ginkakuji Temple
Woodblock print
Konjikido in Snow, Hiraizumi — 平泉金色堂 絶筆
Woodblock print
Snow at Nezugongen Shrine — Nezu Gongen no Yuki
Woodblock print
Snow At Shiba Park, Tokyo
Woodblock print
Peddler in the Snow
Woodblock print
Saishoin Pagoda-Temple in Snow, Hirosaki
Woodblock print
Kinkakuji Temple in Snow
Woodblock print
Yuki no Shirahige 雪の白ひげ (Shirahige in the Snow) / Tokyo junidai 東京十二題 (Twelve Tokyo Subjects)
Woodblock print
Lingering Snow at Inokashira, from the series Twelve Scenes of Tokyo
Woodblock print
"A Fine Winter's Sky, Miyajima, from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series"
Woodblock print
Snowy Dawn at the Port of Ogi, Sado, from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series
Woodblock print
Ishinomaki in the Snow, from the series Collection of Scenic Views of Japan, Eastern Japan Edition
Woodblock print
Snow in Koshigoya
Woodblock print
Snow at Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion, Kyoto)
Woodblock print
Lingering Snow at Miyajima
Woodblock print
Snow in Shiba Park (Shiba Kôen no yuki), Shôwa period, dated 1931
Woodblock print
Waterwheel snow — 忍畦
Woodblock print
Cleaning the Tea Service (descriptive title)
1898
Woodblock print
Goyu: Scarlet Latticework
Woodblock print
Morning Crows, Winter Scarf — 明けからす お高祖頭巾
Not set
Woodblock print
Terashima in Snow (Yuki ni kureru Terashima), from the series Twelve Views of Tokyo (Tokyo jûnidai), Taishô period, dated 1920
Woodblock print
Numazu: Latticework Tile Wall
Woodblock print
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Snow scenes (yuki no keshiki) hold a special place in Japanese woodblock printmaking as one of the tradition's most technically demanding and aesthetically prized subjects. The challenge of depicting whiteness — using the paper itself as the primary "color" for snow — required exceptional planning from the artist and virtuosic restraint from the printer, who had to leave precise areas of the block unprinted while building up surrounding tones.
Kawase Hasui, Kobayashi Kiyochika, and Takahashi Shotei are among the artists most associated with snow scenes in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 870 prints tagged with snow scenes, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.