Iki Province: Shisa

In the foreground is a small snow-covered hill with a single pine on its summit and snow-laden pines along its slope. At lower left the roof of a house buried in snow can be seen. Beyond the hill a blue inlet spreads, dotted with small islands.

At the back, snow-covered capes and islands line up horizontally, and farther still white island shadows can be seen. The sky is gray-black, with white snow scattered over the whole picture. The contrast of the dark sky, white snow, and vivid indigo sea strongly impresses the stillness of winter. The snow is expressed by leaving white dots unprinted, conveying a world without sound.

Iki is an island floating in the Genkai Sea between Kyushu and Tsushima, and from ancient times was a relay point for traffic with the continent. Where "Shisa" in the title refers to on the island is not clear. The Metropolitan Museum of Art reads the title as "Shimasaku," and there are various theories about the reading and the place.

Even among the snow scenes of this series, it is a memorable print that takes a large expanse of dark sky. The Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art also hold this same print.