Snow on the Sumida River - Katsushika Hokusai

A classic Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai, depicting a serene winter scene along the Sumida River with a focus on cool blue tones and snowy textures.

Snow on the Sumida River is a woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai, produced as part of his series Snow, Moon, and Flowers (Setsugekka). This work captures a winter scene along the Sumida River, a subject frequently explored by artists of the Edo period. The composition is defined by the contrast between the deep blue of the water and the white snow covering the riverbanks, trees, and structures.

Hokusai employs a clear, graphic approach to represent the cold atmosphere. A small boat drifts on the water, while a small shrine sits on a snow-covered island in the foreground. The background features a distant shoreline, rendered with minimal detail to suggest depth and distance. The use of Prussian blue, a pigment that became popular in Japan during this era, provides a cool tone that unifies the scene. The print demonstrates the technical precision of the woodblock medium, with clean lines and flat areas of colour that define the forms of the trees and the architectural elements.

The series Snow, Moon, and Flowers draws upon traditional Japanese themes, where these three elements represent the beauty of nature across different seasons. In this print, Hokusai focuses on the quiet stillness of winter. The figures walking along the bank are small in scale, which emphasises the vastness of the snowy environment. The print is a representative example of Hokusai's later work, where he moved towards more atmospheric and simplified compositions. The balance between the natural elements and the human-made structures reflects the aesthetic values of the Ukiyo-e tradition, where the observation of daily life and the changing seasons remained a primary focus for artists and their audiences.