Approaching Snow

Alluding winter, this is an extreme close-up of a young woman’s face—in fact, portions of her traditional shimada-style coiffure are cropped by the frame of the image. The title evokes the gloom of snow-laden clouds, and indeed the background is in pale gray. The season is also indicated by snow-covered nandina branches with red berries, a motif that decorates the woman’s blue kimono. Shūhō depicted the woman glancing to the side while lifting her sleeve-covered hand to her face, as if for protection from the chilly air.