Lumberyards at Fukagawa

At lower left, snow-covered timbers are stacked leaning diagonally, and beneath them an umbrella with the character for "fish" at its lower edge and a dog peep out. In the canal in the middle ground, logs float and craftsmen called kawanami maneuver them with poles. In the distance are snow-laden trees and a bridge, snow swirls from the sky, and sparrows fly.

In the quiet palette of white and pale indigo, the light rose of the timber and the yellow of the umbrella catch the eye. The diagonal lines of the foreground timber divide the picture, and the distant scene peeps out between them.

Kiba was a district gathering timber wholesalers, said to have been consolidated at this site in Fukagawa around the Genroku era. In fire-prone Edo the demand for lumber was great, and the rebuilding of the city after the earthquake of 1855 (Ansei 2) is thought to have been supported by the timber of Kiba.

This print belongs to the winter section, and the character "fish" on the umbrella is said to refer to the publisher Uoya Eikichi. Snow scenes are numerous in the winter section, and this one is known among them for the boldness of its composition. The umbrella, boldly cropped in the foreground, gives viewers the sense of standing on the spot.