Iki, Shisa (Iki Province: Shisa)

Iki, Shisa (Shisa in Iki Province), from Hiroshige’s Rokujuyoshu meisho zue (Pictures of Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces), is one of the few snow scenes in the series. Hiroshige presents a dramatic winter view of the rocky coastline, with snow-covered islands and cliffs rising from the deep blue sea. The beautiful contrast between blue and white dominates the composition, while the dark sky, filled with falling snow, creates a serene and atmospheric sense of winter. The snow-covered foreground is punctuated by a few wind-swept pine trees, adding both depth and a delicate sense of movement to the otherwise quiet landscape. The restrained palette and carefully controlled gradations demonstrate Hiroshige’s remarkable ability to evoke the cold, still atmosphere of a snowy landscape. The deep blue tones and delicate snowfall draw the viewer into a dreamlike world.
This impression, with two horizontal bands of bokashi in the sky and another beneath the pine tree in the foreground, is particularly rare.