The Second Month, Matsuchiyama in Snow at Dusk

Kiyochika produced his first landscape prints-views of Tokyo-in the late 1870s. This triptych shows, however, is characteristics of his later landscape style with its softer tone, lighter colors and obscured outlines. Lacking the western elements frequently found in his earlier prints, these representations of modern Tokyo appeared somewhat more traditional. This snow scene, depicting a ferry boat on the Sumida River in Tokyo, can be easily mistaken for a print by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) or other artists of the Edo period (1603-1868). Between the distant cityscape and the ferry boat carrying the passengers in the foreground, there is large empty space, which also makes this composition look typically Japanese. To the far right is a steamer boat, a faint hint of modern Japan.