Two umbrellas cross a snowbound bridge as dusk falls in blue

Snow falls at dusk over a river printed entirely in blues and teals. A willow at the right carries snow along its trunk and every trailing branch. A timber bridge on trestle piers crosses the water, and two women cross it under snow-topped umbrellas, one in a patterned kimono and one in blue. Beyond, low houses stand on the far bank with a window or two lit yellow, and a snow-covered stone embankment drops to the dark teal water, where the flakes keep falling.

Kawase Hasui (1883–1957) was the defining landscape artist of shin-hanga, the movement that carried Japanese woodblock printing into the twentieth century. From 1918 he worked with the publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō, travelling almost continuously through Japan and turning roadside sketches into prints of unusual atmospheric precision. Snow, rain and failing light were his real subjects, as much as any temple or harbour. In 1956 Japan recognised his woodblock technique as an Intangible Cultural Property. His prints are held by the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Printed as a museum-grade giclée on Hahnemühle fine art paper using 12-ink archival pigment printing. Available handframed in FSC-certified wood with optional float glass, or unframed. Ships worldwide with free delivery to 30+ countries.