Mallard Duck and Snow-Covered Reeds

Utagawa Hiroshige was one of the first ukiyo-e masters who produced bird prints. He preferred a tall and narrow format, tanzaku, as seen in this piece. This specific format allowed him to explore new compositions and to express the beauty of birds and plants in a poetic yet accurate way. This masterpiece, Ducks in Snow, is a perfect example of Hiroshige’s talent in such subject. The image transmitted the cold air to viewers by showing the falling snow, frozen reeds and the dark sky in grey bokashi (graduation). Yet by contrast is the duck’s colorful feather and peaceful expression adding liveliness to the picture.
The verse by Sugisaka Hyakumei has been read and translated by John T. Carpenter as:
Kamo naku ya
kaze fuki shiwamu
mizu no omo
A duck quacks
as the wind wrinkles
the face of the water.