Snow Scenes Prints (1012)
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
Snow, Moon, and Cherries at Kiyomizu
Woodblock print
First Snow
Not set
Woodblock print
Kyoto Snowfall- LE
Not set
Woodblock print
Snow Gust
Not set
Woodblock print
Snow Passage
Not set
Woodblock print
Snow Bound
Woodblock print
Snow Scape
Woodblock print
Snowy Morning
Woodblock print
Snow Scene of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto
circa 1930-1950
Woodblock print
Kameyama: Weather Clearing after Snow (Kameyama, yukibare), from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Tokaido gojusan tsugi no uchi)," also known as the Hoeido Tokaido
c. 1833/34
Color woodblock print; oban
Snow, Moon, and Flowers in the Pleasure Quarters (Seiro setsugekka) : Hanamurasaki of the Tamaya with Attendants Shirabe and Teriha
n.d.
Color woodblock print; oban
Triptych: Despite the Snow the Japanese Army Perseveres to Hold Their Strong Position at Wei-hai-wei (Yuki o okashite waga gun Ikaiei no kenrui o nuku zu), Meiji period, dated 1895
Woodblock print
Blizzard
Woodblock print
No Series Bijin In Snow
Woodblock print
Heron on a Snowy Night - woodblock
Woodblock print
NINNAJI TEMPLE-GATE IN SNOW
Woodblock print
No Series Pagoda Of Ninnaji Temple In Snow
Woodblock print
Snowy Temple Garden
Woodblock print
Snowy village
Woodblock print
Snowy village - woodblock
Woodblock print
Spring Snow
Woodblock print
Show at Kinkakuji Temple — 金閣寺の雪
Woodblock print
Snow at Shiga Hights
Woodblock print
Sandpiper with Marshgrass in Snow
Woodblock print
Sparrows and Bamboo in Snow
Woodblock print
Bijin by Pond in Snow
Woodblock print
Snow at Hie Shrine (Shato no yuki (Hie jinja))
Shato no yuki (Hie jinja
1931
Color woodblock print; oban
![Snow on a Fine Day at Miyajima (Seiten no yuki [Miyajima]), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)" by Kawase Hasui](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/528ee6ba-453a-0502-d9f7-6f5364378a11/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Snow on a Fine Day at Miyajima (Seiten no yuki [Miyajima]), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)"
Seiten no yuki [Miyajima]
1921
Color woodblock print; oban
Crows in snow
ca. 1915
Crows on snowy branch
Woodblock print
Lady in Black in Snow
Woodblock print
EVENING SNOW AT KIYAMACHI
Not set
Woodblock print
Heron on a Snowy Night
Not set
Woodblock print
Snowy Dawn at Nigetsudo Temple — 二月堂雪旦
circa 1950-1970
Woodblock print
Snowy Temple Garden
Not set
Woodblock print
Snowy village
Not set
Woodblock print
Snowy village - woodblock
Not set
Woodblock print
THREE SNOWY HERONS
Not set
Woodblock print
Child in snow
Woodblock print
Snow at Shiba Park (Yuki no Shiba koen)
1934
Color woodblock print
Snow, Moon, and Cherries at Kiyomizu
Woodblock print
Lingering Snow
Woodblock print
Sekigahara in Snow (Yuki no Sekigahara)
1976
Etching
Snow is Coming No. 2
1980
Etching
No Series Kyoto Snow Le
Woodblock print
Mountain Village in Snow
2002
Woodblock print
Snow At Hiunkaku Temple - 雪の飛雲閣
1996
Woodblock print
Mitate No.57 - Snow (Yuki)
2002
Snowy Morning — 雪の朝
Woodblock print
Onsen in the Snow (Fukushima)
Woodblock print
Spring Snow at Shirakawa (Shunsetsu Shirakawa)
1970
Color woodblock print; edition 48/128
Yunoshima yuki (Snow on Yunoshima) / Ichimoku-shu (First Thursday Collection, Vol 2)
Woodblock print
Evening Snow at Terajima Village (Yuki ni fururu Terajima mura), from the series "Twelve Scenes of Tokyo (Tokyo junidai)"
1920
Color woodblock print
Climbing Snow Valley at Harinoki
1920
Woodblock print
After the Snow Falls
1921
Color woodblock print
After the Snow (Yuki no ato)
Woodblock print
Snow — 雪
Woodblock print
Snowy Night- Woman Warming Herself on a foot warmer — 雪の夜
Woodblock print
Black-crowned Night Heron in Snow
c. 1928–1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Umbrellas in Snow
1931
color 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 Jun'ichiro Sekino 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 1012 prints tagged with snow scenes, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.