Night Snow at Kambara

The sky is darkened with ink gradation, and white snowflakes dot it as they dance. Mountains, houses, and trees are all covered in thick snow, drawn only in shades of white, gray, and black. It is a picture in which one almost hears only the sound of falling snow in a post station emptied of human presence.

There are three figures on the slope: one with a staff at left, and two huddled together at right. Their hats and straw raincoats are lightly covered with snow, showing them walking carefully on the snowy road. Blue and yellow are used only on the figures, catching the eye within the monochrome picture.

Kambara is a mild place near Suruga Bay, and heavy snow like this is rare. For that reason, it is thought that Hiroshige drew it as a snowscape to add variety to the series. It can be said to be a print that gives priority to conveying the stillness of a snowy night over the actual scenery.

The sky is expressed darkly with ink bokashi (a technique of printing while gradually changing the thickness of the pigment on the block), and in contrast with the white piled snow, the depth of night and the glow of snow are felt. The doors of the houses are all shut and no lights can be seen. It is a print that fully depicts the stillness of a snow-buried post station through a restrained palette.