Color woodcut, paper, 25.5 x 38.5 cm, artist’s signature, publisher’s mark in the margin, on the verso: craftsmen’s markings: carved by Shigeru Koike, printed by Taizo Sato.
A beautiful and rare reprint prepared by masters associated with the Yuyudo publishing house. The scene is shrouded in heavy snowfall, rendered using tiny white dots covering the entire surface of the print. The sky in the upper part transitions from deep gray to black, which heightens the impression of a frosty evening twilight. Three figures are walking along a path by the river, dressed in traditional, thick kimonos that protect them from the cold. Two women are holding open umbrellas decorated with geometric patterns. The man with his back turned is wearing a distinctive, wide-brimmed straw hat. The winter landscape on the left side of the frame—with rocks and trees weighed down by the snow—is rendered with exceptional beauty.
Ukiyo-e woodblock prints have been produced since the Edo period, always using traditional methods. From the early 20th century onward, the Yuyudopublishing house distinguished itself as one of the finest publishers in Japan. It adhered to the same rigorous standards as 19th-century publishers, while some of its peers cut corners. In the 1950s, as interest in Edo-period woodblock prints resurged, Yuyudo launched a project to reprint the works of the great masters from the golden age of ukiyo-e. To this end, they hired the world’s finest printers and woodcarvers. The resulting works are among the highest-quality editions ever produced. Yuyudo woodblock prints are exceptionally well-crafted and meticulously executed. The publishing house ceased to exist and publish in the 1980s.
Hiroshige Andō, also known as Hiroshige Utagawa, is one of Japan’s most famous painters and printmakers. His father, Andō Genuemon, was a low-ranking samurai and an officer in the fire brigade. From the age of sixteen, Hiroshige trained in the studio of Utagawa Toyohira, under whose guidance he developed his skills and talent. The young Hiroshige soaked up the artistic atmosphere while helping with the day-to-day operations of his father’s fire brigade. It wasn’t until he was 27 that he decided to devote himself entirely to his artistic career. After his teacher’s death in 1822, he was offered the chance to take over the studio, but Hiroshige declined the offer and chose to work independently. Hiroshige’s artistic output has not yet been fully cataloged, but it is estimated that he produced approximately 5,000 works, primarily in the technique of color woodblock printing. He began his career with portraits of beautiful women (bijin-ga) and depictions of kabuki actors (yakusha-e), but after his teacher’s death, he focused primarily on native landscapes. Hiroshige came from a samurai family, yet he identified with Edo’s bourgeois culture. He became famous primarily as the creator of landscape series such as: Fifty-Three Stations on the Tōkaidō Road (Tōkaidō gojūsan tsugi no uchi), One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei), and Sixty-Nine Stations on the Kisokaidō Road (Kisokaidō rokujūkyū tsugi no uchi). He masterfully depicted landscapes at various times of the year and day, and was fascinated by weather phenomena. He experimented with effects and composition, employing unconventional foreshortening. A distinctive feature of his work is his depiction of atmospheric phenomena such as snowfall, rain, gales, and storms. He was also fascinated by the phenomenon of shadow and its effects in both landscapes and domestic interiors.
